Blind Leap of Faith
by Pretender Fanatic
Summary: A month after Raphael has been hit with a flash bomb and it’s back to cause trouble. The question now is, can a ninja still be a ninja if they’re blind?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own them but I think they look pretty! Please don't sue!

A/N: Hello! This is my firstfull fledged TMNT story, meaning I am pretty much open to sugestions about anything and everything.Are the chapters long enough? Am I being repetative with my language? Do you think I need more sad soppy scenes? I don't mind flames as they often times just give me more insperation towrite. I hope you guys like this first chapter!

"Raph! No! Get away from there!" Leo screamed. But it was too late. A loud explosion sounded throughout east side. Raph was thrown into a near by alley wall. Leo tried to rush to his aid but a group of Foot blocked his path. With a loud scream of rage he attacked the evil do-ers keeping him from his brother.

They never should have come here. It really didn't have anything to do with them, but Don had heard about some break in mission over his new fazzled radio scanner. He had insisted that they go topside and check it out. Leo had told him that the police could take care of it but Don continued to explain that it wasn't a police scanner he had heard it on. It was just a radio scanner. It picked up walkie talkie signals for about a two mile radius and if set right could even pick up on some telephone calls despite the background fuzz.

So they went topside and not a half mile from their warehouse sure enough they found a pack of Foot breaking into a house of all palaces. An old lady was being held by one of the masked ninjas as five more entered her house. Burning bottles of liquor were thrown through the windows. The five inside could be seen through the windows trashing the place as best as possible before the flames got too out of hand. Leo gave the order to attack and attack they did. The upper hand was theirs until the old lad yelled that her granddaughter was still in the building. Raph had gone running in right as the Foot came running out. He was blasted away from the house just as he made it to the threshold.

Leo was finally able to come to his brother's aid. He sheathed his katanas and helped Raph to sit up.

"Raph! Raphael, are you ok Bro?"

Raph blinked and shook his head from side to side to clear away the flashing white spots still dancing before his eyes.

"Yeah 'm fine. It just kinda stunned me a think."

A bulky grisly man, a horror to be hold, stepped up to the threshold of Saki's tower. He turned his square face skywards, taking in the enormous structure. A few pedestrians passing by slowed upon noticing the barbaric man but quickly went about their own business when they noticed the old, well used military gun strapped to his back.

Cobart didn't care what others saw. They were frightened enough not to confront him and that was just that way he liked it. His thick callused fingers wrapped around the old wrinkled and worn business card in the pocket of his grungy military issue pants.

He would have looked like a sergeant or lieutenant if not for the dark, dead look held in his deep set eyes. His head was shaven, revealing a few nicks and old battle scars. Even his eyebrows were shaved, or maybe singed off. One couldn't tell.

He took one last glance at the address scrawled on the card before taking an expensive lighter out of the same pocket and igniting it. He watched it catch fire and burn for a few moments before he threw it carelessly on the ground, not even bothering to stamp it out before entering the skyscraper before him.

He knew exactly where he was going. Many tried to stop him but he charged ahead until he reached the door of Saki's chambers.

"What is the meaning of this?" Saki stood defensively as Cobart strutted in.

His voice was deep and grating, almost the voice of a chain smoker. "I hear you need a mercenary."

"Focus Raphael. I just cut your head off while you were in la-la land."

"Huh?"

Raph's eyes came back into focus as he found Leo's katana still poised mere centimeters from his neck.

"Yeah. Right" Raph muttered as he pushed the offending weapon out of his personal space. "Let's get back to it."

He brought up his sais and tried to forget the black dot that had just bounced across his vision moments before, watching for his brother's next attack.

Leo prepared for a charge and had covered half the distance to his brother before he realized that Raph had straightened up and wasn't concentrating again. He pulled back hard to keep from slamming into him and nearly tripped over himself as a result.

"Raph." Leo sighed. "What is up?"

"I donno Leo." Raph said as he once again took notice of his brother's close proximity. "I'm just tired."

"Well then go get some rest cause it looks like you aren't going to be getting any practice in today."

"Yeah. I'll do that."

He put his sais in his belt and shuffled out of the dojo, up the stairs, and into his room. Shutting the door he fell onto his bed with a sigh.

What was wrong with him? First it was only being able to see things if he held his head up higher than normal now it was a weird black dot floating around his line of vision.

Raph rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hands. Something was defiantly wrong. The question was what. The explosion last week couldn't have been the cause of his vision playing games with him, could it?"

He sighed again as he rolled over on his side and turned on his stereo. The booming music would echo through the Lair and he knew it, but everyone was used to it by now.

Maybe all he needed was a good nap. His eyes could be strained from something or other. Yeah a nap would do him good.

A chair was brought in for Cobart. If it weren't for his dirty features and the military gun laying on his lap, the scene might have been funny. The large man barely fit in the seat. It was clear that at one time he had chiseled, rock hard muscles, but over years of misuse a layer of fat covered them, making his appearance even more grotesque.

"I'm not sure if you are the mercenary I want. This is not a blow off job."

"Damn straight. I never failed on a mission, ever. Yer lucky I even decided to come. Had a job down in North Carolina that looked like a bit of fun, but this one seemed like a plain old hoot"

"The turtles are not to be underestimated."

"Cobart kept his eye contact with Saki, something very few people dared to do."

"I don't care if you have me killing ants Saki. I'm just in it for the fun." He leaned back in his chair, an expression of thought passing his features. "and the money. The Army didn't want me, said I was too… loose cannon, so now I do free lance work. It gives me a few jollies and I can make a livin by it, but get one thing straight Saki. I'm in charge. I decide my pay and I plan the take down. If we agree to that I'm all yours."

"You can take down the turtles though?"

Cobart grinned an evil grin. His eyes sparkled with the thought of murder.

"You bet your ass I can."

"Raph! It's show time!" Mikey hollered as he burst into Raph's room, dragging him out of bed by his ankles.

Raph's shell hit the floor with a clack as he shot up in a sitting position glaring daggers at the younger turtle.

"What'd you do that for?" He screamed as Mikey bounced around the room grabbing Raph's belt and bandanna.

"Time to go to work Bro. Don intercepted an order by radio from the Foot."

"Since when did Donny have a radio scanner?" Raph asked as he tied his belt.

"Who knows? But they are planning on robbing the bingo hall on forth street."

"The bingo hall? Oh come on! That's pitiful."

"All it means is more top side time Bro. So get your shell in gear!"

Raph stumbled out of his room, after the rambunctious Mike, into the hall where Don and Leo were waiting.

"Feel any better Raph?" Leo asked as they all headed towards the exit.

"Uh… yeah. I guess."

"I can't believe this. Banks, I can understand but really. It's a Bingo hall for goodness sakes! What do they get by robbing a bunch of old ladies?"

"Hearing aids and Senior Citizen discount cards."

"Stop fooling around Mike. There they are. Don you stand guard here to make sure none of them slip past us. Seeing one of the Foot would probably give one of those poor ladies a heart attack."

"I'll say." Mikey piped up.

Leo gave him a glare and continued.

"Raph you take the far side. Mike, the near side and I'll handle the roof. Questions? All right then, let's get to it."

The three of them jumped off the roof to get in position while Don started on his perimeter patrol from afar.

Raph rounded the corner of the building to find a dozen Foot soldiers about to break through a ground level window.

"You're supposed to respect your elders." Raph announced his presence as he pulled a sai.

The Foot didn't waste anytime chit chatting. Four of them charged head on while the others held back to see the outcome. Raphael face split into a grin as he drew his other sai.

One of them came at Raph with a kamma in each hand, carelessly taking a swing at his head with both weapons. Raph caught both kammas in one of his sais and used the other to disarm his opponent, pushing him into the ninja behind him. Three more soon jumped into the fray to replace their fallen comrades.

A tall ninja with a long sword held steadily over his right shoulder with both hands came forward to stand in front of Raph. Raph grinned wider and beckoned the young kid to fight. He came running, sword swinging left and right.

Raph's smile dropped suddenly. His eyes were playing that weird trick on him again! There wasn't one sword anymore wielded by a naïve child. Now there were many long blades seeking out his neck, commanded by an experienced, seasoned warrior.

"Donnay!" he roared at the top of his lungs. "Need some help over here!"

Don came flying over the roof to Raph's side. His bo slipped in front of Raph, intercepting the sword and sending it flying seconds before it sliced Raph's face in half. Don disposed of the remaining Foot while Raph shook his head and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his vision.

"What's up Raph? You haven't be acting yourself lately. You shoulda been able to handle that dude back there." Don climbed beside Raph as they headed towards the roof of a nearby building.

"It's my eyes. I donno what's wrong with um. But that kid back there looked like he was at least fifth-dan with the way he was swingin that sword, or at least the way I thought I saw him swinging it."

"I'll check it out when we get home. Just take my spot for now on being look out. If you see anything give a shout. I'll go finish up back there. You'll be ok by yourself here?"

"Don. I'm a ninja. I'll be fine. I can finish the job myself."

Don gently pushed his brother into a sitting position.

"Dude you thought that guy was a fifth-dan. He wasn't more than a fourth-kyu. Just sit down. I promise next time we are out you can beat the stuffing out of my share of Foot too."

Raph grinned wide at this and promptly sat on top of one of the AC units.

"Ok but if I see any Foot scum I'm not going to scream like a girl. I'm just gonna clobber um. Got it?"

Don smiled and nodded once, knowing that that was the best he would get out of his stubborn brother. He backed up and did a flip down into the alley to finish up Raph's job.

Raph sighed as he slumped over, his hand on his chin. This just wasn't his week. He rubbed absently as one of his eyes with a balled up fist. It was bad enough that he had those problems last month with his eye sight. Now he was going to have to wear glasses or something. Anything would be better than the sight of a ninja wearing glasses. He would have Don make contacts if it came down to something like that. He was sure that if Don put his mind to it he could do something like that. He briefly wondered if maybe his eye sight being on the fritz had something to do with his scuffle with the Mob last month. It would make sense.

"Where's Don?" Leo asked as he came vaulting over the edge of the roof.

"He went to go finish off my wanna-be-ninja-scum." Raphael grumbled.

"Why?" Leo questioned, slightly concerned. "What happened Raph?"

"Nothin." His reply was curt. Raph turned his shell to his brother and folded his arms.

"Well it had to be something other wise you wouldn't be sitting here." Leo stated, taking a step towards his fuming brother.

"It was nothing Leo, so just drop it. It's between me and Donny."

"Raph if it's something important I need to know."

"It's not Leo! Alright?"

Mike bounced lightly between his two brothers who were touching beaks and glaring daggers at one another.

"Well I took care of all my Feet. How about you guys?"

Raph turned to him, an expression of utter confusion on his face.

"Feet? What are you talking about Mike?"

"It's improper to say Foot when there are more than one." Mike tossed his head as if he had hair and held his head high."

"Feet? Mikey your a weirdo."

Don appeared beside Mikey.

"I'm all done."

"Good can we leave now?" Raph didn't wait for an answer. He stalked towards the edge of the roof and was gone before and one could protest.

"What's eating him Don?"

"I'm not quite sure yet Leo, but I hope it's not what I think it is."

"and what's that?"

"I don't want to say anything until I can do some tests."

"Tests? Don I need to know! What is going on here?"

"You'll get to find out when the rest of the family does."

"Hey Raph, you wanna come topside with me?"

"Not really."

Raph had his feet propped up on the coffee table flipping through TV channels while Don put on his topside cloths.

"Why don't you come with me anyway?"

"Why would I?"

"Raph let's put it this way. If you don't come with me then Master Splinter, Leo, and Mike are going to find out about your secret."

"Raph's head snapped up to stare at Don.

"Don you wouldn't."

"I would. Come with me. It's for your own good."

"Yeah sure it is." He grumbled as he pushed himself off the couch to go find his topside cloths.

"Ok Don. If you dragged me up here for nothing you're dead meat."

"I didn't. See that building over there? It's the local optometrist. I did some research on the symptoms you told me about and there is a few possibilities as to what it is but I don't have the equipment to run the tests."

Raph's mouth formed into a silent 'oh' with one nod of his head.

"If this turns out to be nothing Don you promise not to tell the other guys?"

"Yeah, but if it is something I have no choice but to tell them."

"Alright let's get this over with."

For the better part of half an hour Don ran test after test, his face getting more grim with the passing of each one. Finally he sat back with a sigh and rubbed at his temples with the tips of his fingers.

"So?" Raph paced around the room wringing his hands.

"Everything points to one conclusion. It looks like your retinas are in the process of becoming detached from your eye wall. There are tares in both of them which is extremely rare but it happens, normally from extreme trauma to the eyes. When you got hit by that flash bomb it created strain in your eyes. Additional strain from everyday use has caused the retinas to deteriorate."

"But you checked out my eyes after that Don. You said they were fine."

"Yeah I checked them with a flashlight, but a flashlight can't see into the back of the eye and that is where the problem is."

"It can be fixed with meds or something though right?"

"They use surgery to reattach the retina to the eye wall but I'm not capable of that. Raph, your going blind."

Those words hit Raph like a ton of bricks. He sat down hard in the nearest chair.

Blind? How could he go blind? He was Raphael. Millions of questions ran through his mind but only one managed to escape his lips.

"Permanently?" His voice had suddenly become horse and he did didn't even look up as he aimed his question at the only other turtle in the room.

"Once the retinas detach completely and blindness sets in it is irreversible."

Raph flopped down on his bed and turned the music up on his stereo some more. Don was telling the rest of the family about what he had discovered and Raph didn't really want to be there to see the expressions of sympathy directed towards him when the punch line came.

He was going to kill that scrawny little Weasel punk who threw that flash bomb Don had said that's what started all of this. He was quick to also state that Raph could have had eye problems before and just not have noticed them but Raph wanted to blame someone and Weasel was it. A sai across the throat would be an interesting concept. The scum deserved it after all, but maybe that was too quick. Maybe he could...

A knock on the door interrupted his morbid thoughts. Leo poked his head through the door and for a brief moment Raph felt like smashing his brother's head between the door and the frame. He knew what was coming and he didn't want to hear it.

"Hey Raph." Leo tried to break the ice nonchalantly.

"Hey what?" Raph snapped back, shooting the friendly banter right out the door.

"I was just making sure you were ok."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Raph slammed down the magazine he had been pretending to read for the last half hour. "  
I've been ok for that last fifteen years. Why wouldn't I be ok now Leo?"

"I just thought that maybe," Leo started but Raph cut him off.

"Yeah well you thought wrong."

Raph got up from his bed and pushed Leo back out the door and slammed it shut. Going over to sit on his bed again he turned his music up another two notches. Maybe if someone else knocked on the door he wouldn't hear them and they'd just go away.

Out in the living room Mikey sat talking quietly with Don.

"Should we treat him any different?"

"If we do we're all going to get our heads chopped off. He's acting like it's nothing so we should just treat him the same." Leo butted in as he walked by towards the kitchen. "Where's Sensei?'

"He's off meditating." Don pointed a large finger to Splinter's room.

"I'm sure he would agree that we should go about our daily business. If anyone needs me I'll be in my room." He grabbed an orange off the table and scooted off to the upper levels.

"So like everything is same old same old?" Mike asked hopefully, his eyes pleading with Don.

"Yeah as far as I can tell I guess so."

Mikey jumped up and raced for the door.

"Where are you going?"

He turned and grinned one of his trade mark grins.

"Well if everything is back to normal then this is the perfect opportunity for a Mikey prank! That's as normal as you can get!"

He raced off with a skip and a whoop of joy.

A/N A Kyu and Dan are levels in Ju jitsu. There are different levels of black belts and each level is called a Dan. Kyu are all the other pretty colored belts. That's what Don and Raph meant when they were talking in the alley. I hope you guys liked this first chapter! Please review as I am very review deprived from my last fandom. Thanks all!


	2. Show Time!

Disclaimer: As my parents say, I don't have any room for more pets, so alas I don't own the turtles and I'm not making any money.

A/N: Hey thanks for the reviews guys! Just for the record I started this story way back at the end of last summer. I am only getting it up now because I'm a very very slow writer. I apologize if anyone thought I was plagiarizing, but truly I'm not. Also a little side note, I tend to talk a lot so if you want some extra details about the story you can look at my bio. I'll update it every new chapter so you can get the inside scoop. You can see how the story got started and all that jazz. Oh and at the beginning of each chapter I am going to have a little first person clip so you can get a better feeling for what I am putting these guys through. Thanks all and please review!

**Linchi**- Yeah the Raph and Lone Cub epi has to be one of my favorites, and you mean I used the belt rankings right? Geez I was just kinda taking a stab in the dark with it. I have a book about martial arts but it's very basic so I didn't really know what I was writing. Thank for the compliment though… and the review!

**Pacphys**- Sorry about that. The computer apparently deleted all my star thingies… twice! I put in lines this time so maybe that will help. Thank you for telling me I didn't even notice! As far as Leo pushing to know what was going on. I don't really blame him. He's just acting the part of the older brother but with Raph being in a bad mood it turned foul fast. Thanks for the review!

**BubblyShell22**- Really you did? So you could tell me if I get something wrong? I researched many different kinds of blindness but Retinal Detachment seemed like the best option for the story. I think I stretched the truth a bit seeing as his retinas are detaching in both eyes. I do know though that if the retinas are left detached for too long they can't be repaired… although nowadays that is almost unheard of. Thanks for the review!

**ShikamaruChick**- I was shooting for different. My other stories haven't been all that out there. This one is kind of personal for me though (read my bio if you want to know why) so I think I'm doing better on it than any of my pervious stories. Thanks bunches for the review!

**Lunar-Ninja**- (Pouts) You don't like Cobart? I love him! He's so evil! You should have seen me when I was writing him, giggling like a mad man. Truth be told he wasn't supposed to be in this story but I needed a filler and I just thought hey what about an evil mercenary? It just rolled from there. He is quite ruthless though. (Look in my bio for where I got the idea for him) I tried to edit a little better in this one as far as spelling goes. Thanks for the review!

Wow! I promise the A/N and review returns aren't going to be that long next time! Sorry guys! On with the story!

* * *

**Donatello: **

I can't help but worry for Raph. Two days ago I diagnosed him with a disease of the eye, a disease that is going to ultimately cause him blindness. I'm not sure when blindness will set in, it could be a few weeks or a few months. Either way though Raph is going to have a rough road ahead of him. I'm scared for him. Medicine isn't my strong suit. I am trying to glean what I can off the net. Endlessly for the last two days I've been working, trying to find a solution. If there was just a way I could perform that surgery. I want to but I don't trust myself, so all I can do is search for another solution and hope Raph has time. With his life style I doubt it though. He's too active and in this case that isn't a good thing.

* * *

New York was a city of the night. The streets were still used by the homeless and the night owls even at this late hour. Raph could imagine the stars winking and smiling down at the cold, hard, unfeeling blocks of concrete known commonly as sky scrappers. The butcher closed and locked the door to her shop and headed down the street towards her apartment complex.

Across the street, Raph crouched on the ledge of a roof waiting for the eye doctor to lockup. If he followed him home every night maybe just maybe the guy would get jumped and he could just happen to jump out of the shadows for a second while rescuing him. Then he'd have to talk to the dude to keep him from freaking out. It all seemed right in Raph's mind.

He looked up to see the door to the office click closed and the doctor already halfway down the block. That guy sure moved fast! He tailed him for six blocks before the man came to an abrupt halt and pulled a key from his pocket. Inserting it into the keyhole he turned the knob and entered the building.

Six blocks until he got home. That wasn't much to work with. He had some work to do and some people to tip off. Not tonight though. If he stayed out much longer especially with the new news someone would come looking for him and that was the last thing he wanted.

* * *

Splinter feared greatly for his son. Raphael was strong and learned to survive anything thrown at him. The problem was that in order to survive it he had to accept it first, and Raphael wasn't willing or ready to accept his newest challenge. The giant rat thought as he sat on one of his rush mats.

His son would fight against this until there was nothing left to him and the real problem ate him alive. It was not the blindness that would give him the most trouble. It would be learning to accept the blindness.

* * *

Raph entered the Lair as silently as possible only to find everyone bedded down for the night. Apparently no one was worried about him that much. That was fine with him though. He didn't need to be watched every hour of every day. He made his way ninja silent up to the second floor and past Don's room. On his way past Mike's room he noticed the door open and decided to poke his head in for a moment.

His youngest brother was curled up on his platform in the corner fast asleep. A nightlight gave off a soft glow in the opposite corner. Raph shook his head. For a ninja Mikey could be a scaredy cat sometimes. He was supposed to thrive in the dark yet he still needed a light when he went to bed at night. Raph couldn't blame him really. Childhood fears died hard. Raph took the time to quietly close Mike's door before moving on to his own room.

Funny, was it just him or was he standing up for Mike? Raph removed his gear and crawled into his hammock. Maybe it was just this news getting to him and making him think the thoughts of a condemned turtle.

* * *

"Hey kid."

The teen turned at the sound of the gruff voice, but his eyes were not able to tell him about the owner of the voice because no one was there. His earrings jingled as he turned from right to left and finally in a full circle. The voice chuckled. The boy drew his jack knife at the sound.

"You know that eye doc's place on the corner of first and third?"

"Who are you?" The boy continued to turn and spin like an ballerina. This only made the voice laugh harder at the boy's expense.

"He carries a ton of cash on him. Dumb guy just moved to town and don't know about the rules here. The Dragons get the mohlah… or else someone might have a little bit of an accident."

The boy grinned and straightened up slightly from his defensive stance.

"Got that right Bro. The Dragons rule this Hood and ain't nobody gonna best us."

"Right on. But that Doc thinks he can. The quack is totally whacked."

"Yeah well we'll get im."

"Yeah." The voice agreed. "We'll get im. Tomorrow night. We'll get 'im then."

"Hey my homies are with ya Brotha."

"Sweet. Tomorrow then. Nine."

"Right then"

Raph grinned to himself as he moved farther into the shadows and out of the alley. He really hated these thugs but if he wanted his plan to go off right he had to play it just right.

He pried the manhole cover out of the ground and hopped down into the depths of the sewers. Walking on the ledge just above the lapping sewer waters, he headed for home.

This guy. This eye doctor. He was the last piece to the puzzle. It wasn't that hard for Raph to take down the punks that would attack him tomorrow. The man was just asking to get attacked sooner of later with how late he locked up anyway. Raph was just making it sooner.

He punched in the code for the door to the Lair and attempted to walk in casually. Mike was on the couch watching TV with a little to much interest. He was definitely up to something. No one else was anywhere to be seen. Probably off in their own rooms to get away from Mikey's shenanigans.

Raph almost made it to his room when suddenly the world spun around and he was on his shell. He could hear Mike's uproarious laughter from somewhere behind him. He growled and rolled onto his plastron. Getting to his knees, he shot a glare at the now quiet smug Michaelangelo.

"Mikey," he growled. "I'm going to kill you!"

Raph shot to his feet and pounced after Mike, but he slipped again and went down. Feeling the floor her realized that it was covered in some sort of slick liquid. By now Mikey was double over in hysterics. A loud 'crack' sounded as Mikey's carapace hit the floor. Raph grinned and untangled the leg he had used to knock his brother to the floor from Mike's own legs.

"Mike you're an idiot." Raph chuckled as he once again got to his feet.

Mikey slowly stood up as well letting a giggle slip forth every now and then.

"Hey Bro you were asking for it! Dude it was just too perfect! You shoulda seen your face!"

Raph gave Mike a hard shove sending him back on his shell.

"Make it count Mike cuz you won't be getting anymore perfect moments like that any time soon."

Using the wall to propel himself Mike slid in the direction of the kitchen on his shell while Raph slipped and slid behind him.

"You gotta admit though Dude this stuff is the best!"

"What is this stuff anyway?"

"It's a recipe Don gave me. Best part is you can't wash it off." He grinned evily and continued to slide around on this plastron in the living room. "You have to wait for it to absorb into your skin."

"You really are a complete dumbo Mike. That means you are going to be slipping around the rest of the night too."

"I know! Isn't it great?"

Raph grinned, "yeah Mike, real great."

Using his hands to propel himself, Raph charged right at Mike but stopped seconds before hitting him, the maneuver caused both turtles to slam into the wall. Mike chuckled and grabbed Raph in a head lock, easily flipping him over with the aid of the slime. Raph laughed and wrestled him to the ground. The two were like one big mass of shell and slime when Leo walked in. He had every intention of lecturing his rambunctious brother and asking where he had been for the last three hours but the sight of him and Mikey tumbling about on the floor roaring insults at each other was enough to make him bite his tongue. Considering how down in the dumps Raph had been since Donny told him the bad news it was a nice change to see him horsing around instead of acting like he was preparing to kill somebody. Leo shook his head and started off towards his room.

"Leo! No! Don't!"

Leo turned but it was too late. He was on his shell with the other two in no time at all. As he joined in the fun he made a mental note to figure out what Raph was up to.

* * *

"Cobart you can not possibly expect me to take this order seriously."

"You have your soldiers and I have mine."

"A bunch of old humans are not soldiers!"

"They're the best kind of soldiers Saki. They don't have much time left to live so they give it all to you for the cause. They have no one left to love them so no one cares if you kill them. They're spies, willing to carry out my every order."

Saki growled. This Cobart was out of control, but he couldn't help but like the man.

"You truly are ruthless Cobart."

"It's why the army kicked me out. They wanted soldiers. I was a ruthless killing machine. The government doesn't really go for that.

* * *

The night was just the same as any of the other nights in the Big Apple. It was somewhat stormy for the beginning of Spring. A few rain dropped tapped out a slow tempo on the rooftop. The thunder rolled in the distance daring the clouds to unleash their pent up fury. Off in the distance lightning crack, promising a terrible storm. For Raph there was a hint of adrenaline in the air. His adrenaline. He had oiled the leather strappings on his sais and the metal was gleaming from the polishing they had endured earlier that day. He had on a new mask and his knee and elbow pads as well as his wrist wrappings were all washed and clean. He was ready to kick some Thug butt! Raphael had never had a chance to prepare for a battle like this before and he had to admit it had him on edge all day. He had to keep reminding himself that thugs weren't going to jump out of the walls and ambush him because he was the one that set up the plan. It never happened though so now he was on top of the corner roof across the street from the doctor's place waiting for things to spring to action.

The door to the eye clinic clicked open and it took all that Raph had not to jump out right then. The soon to be mugged man was young, a doctor in his late twenties. He may not have been rich but he certainly looked it. His black hair was cut short, almost a crude cut, making him look like he had just returned from the Army boot camp. He had small round glasses shoved up close to his face. His blue dress shirt was still crisp and clean after a long day a work and his black slacks showed no traces of lint. He wasn't a scrawny man but he didn't have bulging muscles either. Yet the way he kept his eyes looking straight ahead, never turning his head left of right told Raph that he was nervous but trying hard no to show it. Up the block Raph could see the Thugs moving into position. On silent feet he followed the doctor up the street by rooftop. He counted down the seconds until the gangsters made their move. Twenty or so young kids sporting the Purple Dragons logo crept close to the openings of near by allies wanting to witness the robbery.

"Three two one." Raphael counted just as the biggest of the kids yanked the doctor into the alley. Raph didn't waste any time. Leaping the last two roofs, in seconds he was down in the alley laying it on thick. He ducked in and out of the shadows on purpose, even brushing by the doctor once but he always kept an eye on him to make sure he didn't go anywhere. With the numbers he was fighting against though he had to be careful. He tried to pick off the ones that stayed out of the packs first then put himself at the edge of a pack and worked his way to the other side, disarming and bringing down the punks as fast as possible. By thug fifteen he was breathing heavy and his arms were shaking lightly. These kids weren't as easy to bring down as regular old Foot soldiers were. The Foot were taught the art of ninja quickly. When they were turned out to work the streets the simpler aspects of Ninjitsu were all they knew. The thugs were different though. The used whatever came to hand and automatically used it as a beating object. They may not know how to do split kicks but any punch they threw had enough power behind it to knock an elephant to it's knees, and they not only knew how to give monster whacks, they could also take them.

Raph brought down the last of them with a resounding back kick to the temple, then all was silent. He could hear himself gasp for air heavily as he crouched down to pick up the few shirkins he had thrown. Turning he noted the good doctor staring wide eyed at him.

Now came the hard part, introductions. He tried a smile and a wave and a garbled Hi. It was totally unlike him and he wanted to kick himself for it but he needed this guy and he couldn't afford to scare him off. In return he got a very shy half wave half 'please don't hurt me' hand in the air. Aw screw it. He couldn't do the nice turtle thing. Stalking over to the bewildered man he grabbed his wrist and helped him up out of the muddy puddle he was still sitting in. Taking the same wrist and forming the grip into a handshake he pumped the man's arm up and down once or twice roughly.

"Name's Raph." He grunted.

"Um… Kevin. The man managed to stutter.

Raph gave a whole hearted grin this time. 'Well he didn't scream then faint and he didn't swing anything at me yet! _He's the best we've had so far!_' He thought. Suddenly Kevin's eyes grew even larger if that was at all possible and his mouth parted. '_Nope I spoke to soon. Looks like he's a screamer_.'

But then Raph realized that he wasn't gawking at him but something behind him. He turned half way and was plowed in the face by a huge fist. Stumbling backwards as bright star bursts of light exploded in his eyes and made them sting like they were on fire.

"Aw damnit!" He screamed as he pawed at his eyes. He could faintly hear the guffaw of many punks. There must have been another group set up for backup that he had missed.

Drawing his sais he screwed his eyes shut against the lancing pain and dropped into a crouch. Raphael concentrated hard and felt a breeze to his left. Lashing out against what he thought was a jack hammer punch with an arm above his head to block and a sai flicking to the right at stomach level to stab. His sai brushed empty air but his forearm made contact. Red hot flames slashed through his skin. It wasn't a punch. It was a knife and by blocking the way he did he had only managed to drive the blade a few inches into his arm instead of his neck. He roared as the owner of the knife twisted it deeper. Sweeping out blindly with his left leg he caught a pair of feet and the kid holding the knife went down. No sooner was he gone though then two more took his place. Raph could hear them chuckling. A crack to the back of his shell told them what their weapons of choice were, bats. One sent Raph flying across the alley only to crash into the fire escape. He stumbled to his feet, eyes still closed against the bright lights shooting before him. His left arm dripped warm blood along his wrist and to the tip of his sai. A flurry of moment in front of him caused him to drop into a crouch once again, his right leg extended to the side for balance. He had miscalculated again though because the rushed movements weren't anyone's efforts to get to him. They were someone's effort to get a gun. Someone in the group was toting a gun. He barely had time to react when he heard the hammer being cocked. He jumped to the side, his right leg flying up as he did just as the gun went off. The pain that followed caused him to let out a half cry half whimper. Without even thinking he tried to put weight on his now injured leg, it didn't support him. His cries drowned out the thunderstorm, now in full force. He forced himself to get up and put his back against a wall. This was it. He was done. Of all the battles he had been in and he was going to be done in be a few street thugs and all it took was two major wounds and his vision playing havoc with him. There was no way he was going to win this fight.

"Kevin duck!" Raph growled through his pain as he pulled a handful of sherkins from his belt and pelted the gang members with them. He was rewarded with three screams. That meant two of his sherkins were possibly still out there and not embedded in somebody. He didn't have to wait long for them to come flying back, both at head level. Ducking barely low enough for them to go whizzing by he shot two more from his belt straight back from where the other came. One of the screams he recognized. It was Kevin. He had hit Kevin! A roar was heard directly in front of him and the sound of charging foot steps. He held his sais up in a 'X' in front of his face but when the weapon the kid was wielding connected his bleeding arm gave. The object came slamming into his head increasing the amount of colored lights and then nothing.

* * *

"This is dumb Leo. Why would Raph be up to something?"

"Because he was just told two days ago that he was going blind. Now he's looking for some heads to bust. I just have this nagging feeling that he's up to no good. Now let's get looking. If he went searching for a fight no doubt he's found one by now."

Little did Leo know how true his last statement was.

The three turtles jumped off the roof they were resting on and split off to scourer the city for their hot headed sibling.

* * *

Kevin wasn't sure what that thing was but it had obviously just saved his life. By now his would-be attackers had forgotten about him and had turned their attention to the creature lying sprawled on the dirty alley floor. Two of the biggest thugs still standing grabbed hold of the Thing's hands and started dragging him deeper into the alley. Kevin had to save him! Grabbing the closest thing to hand, which happened to be one of the sharp three pronged forks Thing was wielding, and brandished it at the smaller of the two kids.

"Leave him alone or you'll be in big trouble!" He shouted as he shook the fork to and fro before him.

The kid dropped Thing's hand and chuckled evil, advancing on Kevin.

"We've got a real warrior on a hands here. He fights the bad guys and he's gonna whop me. Is that what you're gonna do tough guy? You gonna whop me?"

Kevin shuddered and almost dropped his weapon.

"N-no… I'll call the cops!"

"Oh! The pigs! The thugs advanced once again and muttered darkly. "They won't get here fast enough to save your sorry ass."

Kevin was shaking all over by now and his knees clacked together but he stood his ground. The mammoth of a kid cracked his knuckles slowly and deliberately while Kevin watched on in fear and wondered just how he ever thought he could take this kid on. The kid took a pair of brass knuckles out of his pocket of his grungy Jnco jeans and slipped them onto his over sized fingers. Throwing back his fist he growled and spit over his shoulder."

The doctor let out a shrill scream and dropped to the floor, rolling up into a ball to protect his face and stomach from the beating he was about to receive.

The thug had his fist halfway to Kevin's side before a green foot came flying out of the air and came smashing down into the crook of the thug's elbow, hitting a pressure point in his shoulder. He screamed as he held his arm but that too was cut short by a stick hitting him across the throat. He crumpled to the ground as his only friend standing dashed out of the alley as if the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.

Kevin still sat shuttering and shivering in the fetal position on the ground, letting out a few whimpers and 'don't hurt me's

"Oh man! Raph!"

Kevin poked his head out of his human ball to see who had spoke. It was another creature must the same as Thing and it seemed concerned.

"Come on Raphy. Wake up Bro."

He pulled a small object out of his belt and activated it, speaking with who ever was on the other end.

"Hey guys I found Raph and you better get over here quick. He was in a fight and it looks like he got his shell waxed."

There was a beep and the Thing number two put the object, now an obvious cell phone of sorts, back in his belt.

Come on Bro. Don said you gotta wake up. Come on dude." Mike checked to make sure Raph was breathing and breathed a sigh of relief of his own when he confirmed that he indeed was.

Kevin heaved himself off the dirty alley floor and stumbled over to where the second Thing was gently slapping the first Thing's cheeks. Thing 2 seemed to notice him for the first time and muttered a little 'Ut oh'

"Leo's gonna have a cow when he sees this. What's your name dude?"

"Kevin." His response was that of a guilty child, as if it was wrong for him to be named Kevin.

"The name's Michaelangelo. Do you know why my Bro is passed out here on the ground seriously messed up?

"Well I got jumped by those punks. I was as good as dead until he came and helped me but he got hit in the face and everything just went downhill from there."

Mikey's eyes grew large and he knelt beside his brother again, increasing his shaking and patting tenfold.

"Dude Raph! You gotta wake up Bro!"

Two more creatures came bouncing down from the fire escape with weapons at the ready. One with a purple mask around his face and a long stick in his hands rushed over to the unresponsive one.

"What happened?" He asked

"This dude said Raph was playing hero and got whacked a few good ones."

The purple one nodded as if he expected that much. Crouching down he peeled back the First Thing's eyelids. Taking a flashlight from his bag he shined it in his eyes, his expression grim. Yet another thing leapt in front of Kevin. The swords he was wielding gave a threatening first impression, crossed in an 'X' and pushed towards the petrified doctor.

"Who are you?" His face dark and dangerous, daring Kevin not to answer him.

"I… um… you see… Kevin." He finally spat out, his voice cracking a bit.

"Leo we have to get Raph home pronto. He's losing a lot and blood and I want to get him fixed up before he wakes up.

"I know who you are." Leo didn't even turn to acknowledge what Don said. "I thought Raph might keep an eye on you." He half whispered to himself.

"Leo! We gotta get going!" The one called Don urged.

Leo put his katanas away after hearing Don call for him again. He couldn't just leave Kevin here. Raph had wanted to talk to him and now Leo himself wanted to talk to him.

"I don't have time to deal with you now. You're coming with us."

"Master Splinter isn't going to like this Leo."

"Well right now we don't really have a choice Mikey."

Leo took off his bandana and took a step towards Kevin who took a step back. Right away Leo saw this was going to be tough.

"Ok look," He started. We're not going to hurt you. We just want you to come with us. Our brother is pretty messed up and we need to get him home. We're honor bound not to hurt you. I just want to blindfold you because our father is pretty picky about people seeing where we live."

Once again when Leo stepped forward, Kevin matched it with a step back.

"I don't have time for this." He muttered. His eyes took on that same glare they had when he had first bounced down into the alley from the fire escape. "Either you let me blindfold you or we're going to have to force you to come with us."

Mikey and Don both looked up when they heard the change in Leo's voice.

"Leo…" Mike tried, but Leo didn't even turn his way. Mikey could understand how upset Leo was but scaring the eye doctor wasn't exactly the way to deal with it.

Kevin also noticed Leo's mood swing. Considering how the other one had fought he didn't want to get on these guys' bad side. After all, the first one had tried to help him. He should at least make sure he was ok. He gulped and ducked his head as he took a step forward, a silent statement that he would go with them.


	3. Shock

Disclaimer: The turtles don't want me as an owner. I'm too busy. Hence I don't own them.

A/N" Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up guys. Track is keeping me busy and I have this rule that if I can't drag myself over to the computer to turn it on I don't update until the next day. But hey I qualified to go to Districts yesterday! … yes that's my excuse for not updating sooner. On to the story!.

* * *

Pacphys: (Giggles) Man! You hit those nails all on the head! I'm not saying anything else though… you have to read to hear more. As for Cobart I love writing him. He was originally just supposed to be in one scene as a filler but it developed into more and changed the whole story. Thanks for reviewing!

ShikamaruChick: (giggles evilly) Poor Raphy boy. I'm so mean to him. You'll have to read on to see how it all pans out though! Thanks for reviewing!

BubblyShell22: Thank you for the offered info. I may very well use it sooner or later. I wrote this story because blindness is something that for some odd reason is very close to my heart. I don't honestly know why because no one I know is blind. I want to be a Guide Dog Trainer when I get older so I am some what oppressed with anything to do with the career. Thanks for reviewing!

Lunar-ninja: Yes Kevin is a little on the coward side of things but he knows when something needs to be done, a shame that he chickened out though.. but who would blame him? Alas poor Raph has many obstacles ahead of him and I can guarantee you get to see his anger flourish to new levels. Thanks for reviewing!

hazlov2004: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Glad to have you on board!

Kellie Fay: Oh dear yes I know how cranky you get. I am only updating about a chapter a week because I don't have much time and I want to give me readers time to do just that, read. I don't want to over load them. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

"Hold that leg tight Mike."

Raph sat straight up on the couch eyes open wide with a roar, swatting at whoever was touching him as he felt the pain in his leg come back more intense than ever.

"Woah! Raph cool it! It's done okay?"

"That what you think Mike. I still have to clean out that stab wound and it's a nasty one."

Raph was oblivious to it all. Despite the fact that the pain of having his leg patched was over he still sat panting and sweating.

"Mikey." His voice was on the edge of panic.

"Yeah Raph?"

Mike was only half paying attention to Raph, focused on helping Don. When Raph didn't answer he turned to look at his brother. His eyes were wide and glassy.

"Where are you?"

Mike felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Raph was staring right at him. Something a kin to fear on his face.

"I'm right here bro."

He left go of Raph's uninjured leg and reached out an arm to lay on his shoulder. As soon as Raph felt his touch he grabbed hold of Mike's forearm like a lifeline to assure himself that he was really there.

"Mike I can't see a thing." The same barely controlled anxiety was now evident in his voice.

"Donny?" Mike looked toward his genius brother.

"You're retinas might have detached Raph, or it could be a pool of blood from a ruptured blood vessel impairing your vision. Most like it is the former but I won't be able to tell until you're well enough to go back up to the eye clinic which, judging by your wounds, won't be any time soon."

"Ah!" Raph pulled his arm away from Don's grasp.

"What are you puttin in there? Hurts like hell."

"Well, shell-for-brains. When you fell you got all sorts of stuff in your stab wound here and now it's up to me to get it all out. I could use a wire brush if you like, instead of tweezers that is."

Just be careful, arm's one of a kind."

There was silence as Don picked out the debris in Raph's wound bit by bit.

"So how bad is it Don?"

"Well I couldn't find a whole bullet in your leg. I found a fragment or two but it was pretty much just a flesh wound. The guy was a bad shot I guess. I don't think you should walk on it anytime soon though. With your arm you won't be able to use crutches for a few days so I guess bed rest is all you've got left."

Raph cut Don's ramblings off.

"What about my eyes? Is that it? I'm blind?"

"I'm not sure. It's not my area of expertise. I was talking to Kevin though and he said,"

"Wait Kevin?" Raph interrupted again. "Eye doc Kevin? You mean he didn't run off after I blanked out?"

This time Mike answered. He seemed to be somewhat peppy despite Raph's recent misfortunes.

"Nope the dude was all curled up on the ground when I got there. I heard him yelling two blocks away. It was the only way I found you, him yelling that he was going to call the cops if they didn't leave you alone. Leo brought him back to the Lair for questioning and Splinter is having a royal fit. That's where he is now, in Sensei's room getting the tongue lashing of his life.

"I'm done here. Help me get Raph up to his room Mike."

Raph winced and groaned as his brothers helps him up from the couch, a turtle under each arm."

"So how many were left?"

"Two, real big guys. I took one out. The other ran off when he saw he was the only one left."

"Where are my sais?"

"In the dojo."

"If you use them anytime within the next two weeks I'll kill you." Don butted in.

"Kin you run and get um for me Mike?"

"Sure thing Dude."

Raph lay down on his bed with equally as loud of a groan as when he first got up, Mike ran off to go fetch his sais.

"You know that Kevin dude is pretty cool. He's pretty shy to begin with but once you get him talking he won't shut up. I was telling him about my problem with getting the rain water to run away from the Lair and he thinks he can help me design something."

Mikey came skipping back with Raph's sais in hand. Raph took them from him and laid them on his nightstand.

"Take these Raph. They'll help with the pain."

"I don't need no pain killers Don."

"You should take them anyway."

"If I need them then you would definitely know it."

Don gave up, knowing that he wouldn't win this fight with his stubborn brother. He sighed setting the pills on Raph's nightstand.

"Fine suffer if you want, but they're here on your nightstand if you need them. We gotta go to practice but I'll be back to check on you in a few. I have April up topside getting to some things so I can stitch those wounds shut. Until she comes back don't move at all or you might make your bleeding worse."

"Take it easy Bro." Mike patted Raph's shoulder and headed out of the room, closing the door.

Raph shifted in his bed as he heard the door click closed. He started sweating again as he tried to look around. He knew exactly where he was and what he should seeing but all that greeted his damaged eyes was a darkness that seemed to be coming closer and closer by the second. Blinking only made it worse. Yet blink he did, trying to see something in this new world of black. Though each time he opened his eyes his hope of seeing something different dwindled more. He forced himself to calm down. Keeping his eyes closed, he breathed slowly and deeply. Music. Music would calm his nerves. He felt for his radio and was slightly relieved when he found it where it should be. Flipping the switch, he listened to the electronically enhanced hard rock come flowing through the speakers into his room and bounce harshly off the walls. Raph grabbed one of his sais and held it up to what should have been his direct line of vision and imagined the light filtering through from under his door glint off the metal.

Never again would he see that. He only had memories to live off of now. Memories of how his family looked. Memories of Don's image when he finally figured out how to make one of his new inventions work, the pride in Leo's eyes when the four of them all did well in battle. He would even miss the look on Mikey's face when he pulled off the perfect prank. Never again would he be able to tell when he had pissed Leo off enough for him to attack, and never again would he see the face of an enemy he was about to bring down. Never was a long time and that was exactly when Raph would get to see those things again. Only in his dreams would he be able to see anything, but he would only see things of the past. He couldn't make up anything new. He had to rewind the old videos and replay them over and over. Never again would he see anything new. Never.

He laid his sai back down on the nightstand and settled down farther in to his pillow, forcing the depressing thoughts from his head.

Don was right about suffering. His leg throbbed with occasional flashes of pain that made him grimace, and his arm felt like it was being stabbed all over again. Maybe he would take those pain killers Don was talking about. Even the numb, out of it feeling they gave him would be better than this.

He carefully slid his hand across the nightstand but jerked to a stop when he hit the capsules. Cursing he threw his injured left hand out to catch the pills that were now on their way to his cluttered bedroom floor. His body twisted slightly as his arm pressed over his chest. The movement caused weight to be put on his still open leg wound. He bit back a scream yet still gasped as he quickly moved back to his former position, forgetting about the pills. He massaged the area just above his knee, terrified to mess with the torn flesh below that point. He hoped April would come back soon with the stuff Donny needed. How much time had gone by since Don had left? What time was it? He wouldn't be able to tell time now that he was blind either he told himself. April would probably be gone an hour and a half to two hours and if it was still evening Don would be back from practice in an hour. If it was morning he would have awhile to wait. He hoped dearly for his own good that it was still night. Raph turned his music down and could faintly hear the sounds of his brothers talking while they practiced. Evening practice was for perfecting balance and some of the more internal arts of Ninjitsu. Morning was when they sparred and did physical practice. If he were with his brothers now they would probably have just finished a few warm up katas and were stretching out. Usually they would make jokes and poke fun at each other while stretching out but tonight Raph could only hear low worried voices. They were talking about him, worried about him. No one ever needed to worry about him before. He was Raph. He could handle anything. Now though he was Raph, the cripple. Just as extra burden for his brothers to carry.

He heard Master Splinter enter the dojo and greet his students as if it were any other day. No doubt Leo had filled him in on the fight and Don would soon fill him in on his condition. Splinter wouldn't be surprised though. Sensei was never surprised. He would have sensed Raph's fear and drawn his own conclusions. Even in the worst of times Splinter was able to keep his cool. Raph thought back to the time when Mike and Don had gone missing from the Lair. He settled back and tried to relax as he focused on the distant memory.

* * *

FLASHBACK

TEN YEARS AGO (The turtles were six)

Splinter walked into the living room where Raphael and Leonardo were into an intense game of stare down. He watch, intrigued as his two sons fought not to blink.

It was such a silly game that kept them busy so long. If one would just relax and stop concentrating they could easily win the match. Their eyes teared as they stared at each other, dead set on winning. Splinter shook his head as he remembered what he had come in for.

"My sons."

Both the boys jumped and blinked. Raphael smiled and pumped a fist in the air.

"Ha! I won! You blinked!"

"Nut uh! You blinked before me!" Leonardo protested.

"Nut uh!"

"Yu huh!"

"My sons," Splinter tried again.

Both young turtles looked at their father.

"Leonardo, you blinked first. Raphael is the victor." Leonardo folded his arms and made a face. "Do you by chance know where Michaelangelo might be found? He is in great need of some reprimanding." Splinter held up the bucket of water that was meant to fall on him as he opened his bedroom door.

"Last I saw he was with Donny Sensei. I don't know where they went."

"Very well. Thank you Raphael."

Splinter left his sons to continue their game to search for the other two.

Many hours later the whole Lair had been searched. It puzzled Splinter as to where his sons had gone. He wondered out into the sewers, hoping to find them somewhere near. He had already searched the immediate area though and nothing had come up before. Knowing they had gotten into trouble somewhere, Splinter started an extensive search of the tunnels.

Not even an hour into his search he heard a scream. Identifying it as one of his sons, he dashed off in the direction it had originated from. The tunnel opened up into a room and the old rat was greeted by a horrifying sight.

Michaelangelo and Donatello were on the ground level of the huge room that seemed to be the main tunnel, reaching to all the levels of the sewers. Michaelangelo seemed to have his leg stuck under a pile of rock and Donatello seemed to be trying futilely to release him. Michaelangelo cried to Don as his brother worked at a slab of concrete.

"I'm gonna die down here Don. We never told anyone where we were going and now I'm gonna die!" He rubbed a grubby hand into his tear stained face and sniffed loudly.

"No you're not Mikey. I'm going to get you out."

"My leg hurts. It's going to fall off Don!"

"Your leg is not going to fall off. You probably twisted it when you feel and that ledge falling on it probably didn't help it any."

"I can't feel my leg and more Don!" Mikey's voice squeaked and rose ten notches.

"You just said ten seconds ago that it hurt. You're lying."

"No I'm not! I can't feel it! It fell off and now I'm going to die!"

Splinter worked his way down to the main tunnel hopping from ledge to ledge. He reached the ground floor just as Mikey's tears reached their peak.

"Do not worry Michaelangelo. I'm sure your leg will be just fine."

He helped Don to move the concrete slab off of Mike's leg. Michaelangelo took one look at his leg and screamed again, breaking into a fresh round of tears. Don's eyes grew big and he paled slightly.

"Master Splinter?' He whispered.

Mikey's leg was covered in blood and was swelling rapidly.

"Do not worry my son. Your brother shall be fine. Though you shall both be punished when we get home for you both have disobeyed me and wondered far."

He gently scooped Michaelangelo up into his arms and started home.

Splinter entered the Lair with Michaelangelo shivering violently in his arms. Donatello's constant stream of worried questions helped none to calm his brother who was now in shock.

Raphael wondered out into the living room where Splinter was lying Mikey out on the couch.

"Mikey!" he yelled when he caught sight of his sibling. He rushed to his side at the couch.

"Your brother has been hurt Raphael. Please go find blankets for him. He needs to be kept warm."

"Is he going to die Master Splinter?"

"No he shall not. Now go find some blankets, and some warm water and a cloth too to wipe out his wound."

Raphael dashed off to get the supplies.

That night had been one of the roughest nights of all their lives. True, now that they were older they had experienced more severe injuries but it was the first time any of them had gotten seriously hurt and it caused emotions to be on high. Splinter had let them sleep out in the living room to be with Mike. All of them had cried that night and the question of 'Is Mikey going to die?' was asked more than once. There never really was any danger of Mike dying but all four turtles sure thought there was. One would have thought that after a night of stress and questions that Splinter would be near his breaking point, but each inquiry brought to him by on of his sons he answered as best he could. Never once did he sigh in frustration or shrug off one of their concerns.

Raph was snapped out of his thoughts by April's voice echoing through the Lair.

"Guys! I'm back!"

Don appeared from the dojo.

"Hey Ap. Splinter says we're almost done in here. I'll be right out. Raph's in his room if you want to see him."

"Alright. Go finish whatever your doing."

Don disappeared back into the dojo while April headed to Raph's room.

She knocked lightly on his door and opened it a crack, poking her head in. He was lying on his bed with his hands over his eyes.

"Hey," She spoke loud enough to be heard over the music but not so loud as to be obvious. His head shot up as he heard her in his room and he fumbled for the knob to turn it down.

"How you feeling?"

"Like I got beat up."

"Tell me about it. You look like you just came back from war. Did Don clean out that stab wound already?"

"Yeah he was just waiting for you to come back to stitch it up."

"Well they're almost done with practice…. Why did Splinter make them have practice when you were hurt anyway?" April asked.

"Cuz I'm not dying." Raph smiled. "And he thinks that having a schedule that you always stick to helps with stress and all that fun stuff."

"Oh well, Don said he'd be in soon."

"Good. My leg hurts like Hell."

"Didn't he give you anything for it?"

Raph shifted in his bed.

"Sorta"

"How can he sorta give you something."

"Well I knocked it onto the floor."

April understood immediately and rushed out of the room only to come back moments later with two capsules and a glass of water in her hands.

"Here. Take. Swallow. Feel better."

She put the capsules in his hand and wrapped the other one around the glass of water. She helped him to sit up as he downed the pills and drained the glass of water. He laid back down and carefully placed the glass on his nightstand. April found a chair and cleared it off to sit down.

"So what's new April?"

April knew that question all too well. Anytime one of the boys got hurt they would try to make small to take their minds off of things. When they asked what was new she had better have an answer or else there would be a long painful silence.

"I found another guy to rent my downstairs apartment to. He's moving in next week."

"Is all the remodeling gonna be done by then?"

Raph knew that April had taken the reward money from finding the stolen jewels and was rebuilding her apartment.

"Oh yeah. After I threatened to sue those painters for lazying about every single one of those men kicked it into high gear.

"Sue? April, since when did you sue anybody?"

"Oh I don't, but use a few big words that Webster wouldn't know the meaning of and it sure scares their pants off! I feel kind of bad for them though. Between all of them they don't have the IQ of a monkey."

Raph chuckled.

The door opened once again and Don entered the room with his hands full of medical supplies. He set them down on the edge of Raph's bed.

"So which do you want me to fix first Raph? Arm or Leg?"

"I donno, flip for it."

"Leg it is then."

Don rummaged around in the shopping bag by his side until he found what he needed. He pulled out some floss and a needle as well as peroxide and a few cotton balls. He dipped the cotton ball in the peroxide and wiped off the needle as April and Raph continued to talk.

"So when are we going to get to see this new apartment April?" His face fell slightly at the phrase. His brothers may see it but he never would.

" As soon as the painters leave and right before this new guy moves in, some time this week."

"If your arm heals quickly enough," Don butted in. He threaded the unwaxed floss through the needle eye and unwrapped the temporary bandage he had put on Raph's leg.

"Aw shhhell! Raph!" He leaned forward and smacked his brother on the head.

"What'd I do?" Raph retorted as he blindly swatted back at his brother and rubbed his head where Don had hit him.

"You… well it's not really your fault. I didn't notice it before but there's not enough skin for me to just sew up this gun shot wound on your leg."

"That pretty huh? So what are we going to do?"

"Well I still have to sew it up. Normally in the hospitals they would either get donor skin to cover the area, or if they were doing a surgery they would insert balloons and fill them with saline solution slowly to stretch the skin, then use the extra skin. I don't have that though. It's going to be tight and it's going to hurt like your shell's on fire but I think I'm going to have to kind of stretch the skin and make it fit."

"Spare me the details." Raph moaned as he laid his head back down.

Don went to the door.

"Mikey! Leo! I need your help in here!"

Mike came bounding in first way ahead of Leo.

"Watch ya need Donny?" He asked as he grinned ear to ear.

"I need you to help hold Raph down. I need to stitch up his leg."

"Sure thing!"

He skipped over to Raph's bed and pounced right on to his plastron. Raph's eyes grew large as all the air was driven from his lungs.

"Ouf! Get off stupid!"

He used his good leg to kick him a solid on in the head. Mikey made a face and pushed his foot away. Raph slapped him on the shell and Mikey punched back. The skirmish was just reaching full scale when Leo strolled into the room. He noticed the exasperated look on Don's face and took stock of the situation. He walked up behind Mikey, dodging a few flailing limbs. He grabbed Mike by the shell and dragged him off of Raph who attempted to go after the retreating turtle. Quick as a flash Don took Mike's place on top of Raph's plastron.

"Don't you move an inch!" He growled.

Raph's face moved in his direction and for a moment he was shocked at his brother's abrupt order, but his face soon twisted into a grin and he let out a chuckle that soon developed into a full blown laugh.

"You're serious about this aren't you Don?"

"Yeah well if you move that leg we'll see who's laughing when gang green sets in and I take a saw to it!"

He pulled back off Raph but still gave him the death glare.

"Mike, Leo, hold him down while I stitch this up."

A piece of leather was placed in Raph's mouth and Leo and Mike were placed either side of him. It was times like these that Raph wished he drank.

"Ready?" Don asked with his needle in hand.

Raph closed his eyes and nodded, speaking around the leather strap causing his speech to slur slightly."

"Do it"

Don didn't wait. He crouched down and as gently as possible tried to pick the good flesh ends out of the wound so he could sew them back together. The second Don touched Raph's injury with his needle he jumped and kicked out with his good leg as pain shot up his bad one. He heard an 'oof' from Don and he muttered an apology, took a breath, and tried to calm himself. Leo and Mike threw all their weight on their brother and Don tried again. He had to tug and pull pretty hard to get the skin in place, much to Raph's dismay. The actual stitching was almost painless compared to what it took to get there.

"There done. Now all I have to do is stitch up your arm and I'm done. That one's not going to hurt nearly as much.

"Need anything else Don?" Leo asked as he got up to leave.

"Not at the moment. You can leave. I'll call you if I need you."

"Alright."

Leo strolled back out of the room. He flopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. Letting the controller fall to his side as he stretched out the full length of the sofa. For the first time that night he allowed his thoughts to wonder.

He had barely gotten out of Splinter's room unpunished. Sensei had been cross to say the least. He has almost been given double practice, which wouldn't have been bad except that he didn't deserve it. The reprimanding and disappointment was always worse than the punishment anyway, but Master Splinter finally saw it Leo's way and realized there really wasn't anything else he could have done under the circumstances. None the less he had still gotten a great lecture about letting strangers into their home. Leo had to grin at that. It was almost like a normal teen thing to be lectured for letting a stranger in, but he wasn't a normal teen. He was a ninja and a turtle at that. He could never be normal. Nor could the rest of his family, but Raph, Raph was even less normal now. How would he ever be able to function as a ninja again? Leo had read many stories about the wisdom and strength a blind man could poses, but even blind he couldn't see Raphael becoming wise. No, Raph would want to continue being a ninja, but was it possible? He didn't know but he was going to try and find out.

Leo flipped off the TV and went into the dojo. He took off his mask and flipped it around so the eye holes were in the back. He approached their newest piece of equipment in the dojo, the mook yan jong.

All four brothers had made it together. Finding scraps of wood and forming them into the replica of a fighting human. Don had varnished it and it now stood in the dojo. It was a spin off from their old wooden dummy, only better. It really wasn't even a mook yan jong, it was a step up. The arms and legs were actually wooden wheels. Each wheel had six spokes attached. When one was hit another would come to the for front. It was the perfect tool to practice blocks on. One could also see the result of a punch or kick gone wrong. Concentration was needed to keep from making a wrong move. One needed to know exactly where each spoke was to keep from getting hit.

Leo started out slowly punching the imitation hands and kicking at the feet. Practicing with the mook yan jong was like fighting a human with too many limbs that moved at warp speed. As soon as one arm spun out of the way another one was there. Leo's strikes intensified causing the tables to spin faster and faster. He took a step forward, purposely coming in line with the table. Lighting quick, he threw his hands up and his leg out to stop three of the four tables.

"Ow!"

He hadn't timed it right. He had successfully stopped two of them, probably by chance, but the third one had a spoke that slipped past his arm and had hit him on the head. Again he set the tables in motion, using the same pattern he had used last time, and again when he blocked he failed. This time two spokes slipped past. Many times he tried to stop three of the tables but only a few times did he succeed.

One out of three. Those were the odds that in a fight again three guys that Raph would get hurt. It wasn't that Leo couldn't work the mook yan jong right. It was that without seeing it he couldn't block the spokes right. It was only by chance that all would be blocked. Out of frustration at the results, Leo continued his experiment. Time and time again he was struck on the head, arms, and shins by the whirling spokes. Finally he stopped, pulling up his mask so he could see. There just had to be a way to fix this.

"Why not pull away my son?" Leo turned to see Master Splinter at the door. He bowed deeply.

"Sensei. I didn't know you were watching."

Splinter returned a small bow as he stepped into the room.

"Why put yourself in the line of danger if it is not needed. By striking and pulling back you make your enemy come for you. Try again."

Leo replaced his mask blindfold and set the tables in motion. When he was prepared to block he ducked in and around the whirling wheels, stopping them one as a time. Each time he waited to feel the crack of the wood against his bones but it never came. He lifted his mask and found all the tables at a complete stop. Splinter nodded with a slight smile and silently made his way out of the dojo. Leo still wasn't happy though. He may have achieved his goal but that didn't help Raph any. Fighting the mook yan jong was nothing like fighting a real human in battle. Humans didn't stay still like a piece of wood. Even after his experiment his question wasn't answered. Would Raph ever be able to be ninja again?

He placed his mask on correctly and wondered back out into the living room where he found Splinter waiting for him in his arm chair.

"Something more than Ninjitsu troubles you my son."

Leo sighed as he knelt by his Master's side.

"It's Raph Sensei. I wasn't thinking about it too much before because I guess I hoped by ignoring it that it wouldn't happen. I think we all thought that, but now that it has happened I find myself unprepared for it and I don't know what we are going to do. How is Raph ever going to be bale to fight again? It has always been the four of us fighting in battle together, but now that Raph is blind how are we going to manage? How is he going to manage for that matter?

"When a fighter falls down my son, the others double their efforts to make up for the lost one. The same is for Raphael's senses. He may no longer have his sight but his other senses will fill in and take over. My son, Raphael is still a ninja. He never stopped being one. He will just have to relearn the skills he once knew how to do in a different way. It he wants it bad enough he will be just as good a ninja blind as he was sighted. We just have to give it time."

Splinter got up from his chair and headed off to his room, leaving Leonardo to ponder his words. Once again Leo's questions were still left unanswered, but he now had something he could go on. Raphael never stopped being a ninja. Maybe there was still hope after all.

Leo stood, opting to lay on the more comfortable couch. He stretched out and rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands. He used his forearm to shield his eyes from the light as he lay there thinking.

"Excuse me?" Came a voice from somewhere to the side of him. "I think I've been forgotten about."

Leo moved his arm away from his eyes so he could see who was talking. His eyes were greeted by a rather fidgety and nervous Kevin. It was clear it had taken a great amount of his courage just to step out of the room he was in and see where everyone had gotten to. They really had forgotten about him. He sat up as Kevin walked closer.

"Oh yeah. Don went to go fix Raph up. He should be out soon."

"As if on cue Raph's voice could be heard bellowing from the direction of his room.

"A week? Don! That's torture!"

Leo rolled his eyes.

"My name's Leonardo, Leo for short. Sorry about drawing on you back in the alley. I don't trust humans too easy." He offered his hand and Kevin shook it.

"Kevin Broody."

Leo noticed that Kevin had a bandage on his shoulder where his shirt had been torn.

"What happened there?" He asked motioning towards the wound.

"Oh ah… a casualty of war."

"Raph did that didn't he?"

Kevin winced as he was roped into telling the truth. He didn't really want to get his rescuer in trouble and it looked, by the dark frown on Leo's face, that that was exactly what was going to happen.

"Yeah, but it wasn't his fault. He couldn't see right or walk any more and it was a last stand kind of thing. He told me to duck before he threw some metal disks but I wasn't fast enough and managed to get one in my shoulder. It wasn't very deep though. I had pulled it out before you guys even showed up."

Leo nodded slowly. He would let it slid with Raph for now but he mentally added it to the ever growing list of things that he needed to talk over with Raph.

I never had the chance to thank you or your brothers for saving me."

"You might not want to thank us just yet."

Kevin gave him an odd. 'why wouldn't I?' look to which Leo only sighed.

"Long story short. Raph found out not too long ago that both his retinas were tearing after he was hit in the face by a flash bomb last month then again a about two weeks ago. We didn't know until he started showing symptoms. He and Don snuck into your office to confirm it. Don told him it could only be fixed with a surgery that he couldn't perform and once the retinas were fully detached there was no hope of getting his sight back. When he got hit during that fight Don said it must have caused his retinas to detach completely. He must have been stalking you in hopes that you would help him with his sight. I figured he'd try to get in contact with you but I didn't figure he'd do it like that.

"You were asking for it though dude. Stayin out that late in that kinda outfit. What were you doin out that that late anyways?"

"Why aren't you helping Don?"

Mikey grinned.

"He kicked me out and said I was being a nuisance. I'm ordering a pizza for dinner. You wanna stay Dude?

He looked back at Kevin as he pulled out his shell cell and punched in the digits for an outside line.

"Um yeah sure it that's ok."

"Sure it is. I bet Raph will wanna talk to you too so that'll give him a chance."

Leo sighed knowing that Raph probably wouldn't be in the mood to talk but they couldn't uninvited Kevin now. Still pizza might cheer Raph up.

Mikey closed his Shell Cell down and placed it back in his belt.

"Alright. I'm goin out to get that pizza! Be back in forty!"

He grabbed his skateboard and was out of the Lair in a second flat. Leo turned to Kevin intending to start a conversation when he noticed Kevin was still dressed in his mud and filth covered shirt and pants. He took him by the arm and guided him into the room Casey used when he came over.

"Let's get you some clean cloths."

He yanked open a dresser drawer and pulled out a bundle of cloths which he shoved into Kevin's arms.

"They might be a little big."

"They should be fine. Thanks."

Leo left to give Kevin some privacy. Minutes later Kevin emerged from the room, a changed man. No longer was he the shy, slightly nervous eye doctor. Now he was a cop passing as a gangster, of maybe an army sergeant on R and R. He certainly wasn't shy looking. With one outfit change the young man transformed into a force to be reckoned with. Even his eyes took on a certain gleam, seeming to alter his very soul Yet underneath that hard exterior there was a certain softness that showed through. Leo wasn't sure but he thought it was kindness, maybe mercy or sympathy. Whatever it was though it gave the gangster cop in Kevin the need to protect the innocent and the resting solider a yearning to see his long missed wife and daughter. All this only by a simple white beater and a pair of black slightly oversized jeans. It made him quite intimidating to say the least.

Leo's eyes grew slightly as he took in the massive change. Kevin frowned slightly and picked at the baggy jeans.

"Do these pants make me look fat?" Insecurity leaking through in his voice.

Nope same Kevin. Leo grinned at the comment knowing that Kevin could look every bit the dangerous thug until he spoke, then it was all out the window.

"No, they look good on you." Leo turned Kevin in the general direction of the kitchen. "Seeing as three pizzas would never hold us over let alone two extra guests, what do you say you help me make a salad of something to go with it?"

"Um.. sure I guess."

For the next thirty minutes Leo filled Kevin in on everything about their lives that Don had missed and Kevin told a bit of his own history.

He had come from Michigan. He had one older sister who owned her own hair parlor. His father had died of a heart attack when Kevin was just fourteen and his mother was living out the rest of her life happily back in Michigan with her daughter. Kevin had moved to New York in hopes of finding better work just over two years ago. It was only by chance that he had found the perfect building for sale. Using the money he had inherited from his dad he started his own eye doctor office.

"I still keep in touch with my Mom and sister though I don't visit as much as I should."

They were just putting their finishing touches to the salad when Mikey came back with the pizzas.

"Time to eat!" Leo hollered when he saw Mikey walk through the door, skateboard in one hand, and the three pizzas balance precariously in the palm of the other.

Splinter emerged from his room, knowing full well how much food one got when they were last to the table. April appeared from Raph's room with the two turtles right behind her. Raph had a crutch under one arm and Don under the other to help guide him. They all quickly took their seats at the table, pulling up two extra chairs for their guests.

By the time everyone was settled Mike was drooling like a starving dog. His dark brown eyes spoke volumes to their Sensei, who they were locked on. Splinter gave a nod of his head and they dug in, being sure to serve their guests first. Pizza was passed around closely followed by salad. The meal was well underway before anyone noticed that Raph was staring intently at where his salad should be with a slight frown on his face, fork in hand.

"What's wrong Raph?" Don asked as he grabbed another slice of pizza.

"How am I supposed to eat it?" He asked as it were something simple and everyday.

Don stopped mid chew. What could he tell him? He hadn't had the chance to look up the way blind people did simple things like making sure their food was small enough to fit in their mouths. He sat for a second thinking while Raph continued to stare.

"Take your knife and use it to tell where the edges are so you can tell if you need to cut anything or not." It was Kevin who had spoken up.

Everyone gave him a 'how would you know that?' look except for Raph who felt around for his knife. Everyone stared and momentarily stopped eating to watch Raph try out the new procedure. To most's surprise it worked. Kevin only shrugged when Don looked at him.

"My sister's best friend was partial blind. I picked up a lot of the tricks she knew. It's what got me into optometry.

Don nodded in understanding and continued eating his own meal.

"How's the leg Raph? Leo asked from the opposite corner of the table from where Raph sat."

"t's fine. Donny says I'm not allowed to use the crutches for a whole week though. I'm gonna go out of my mind,"

"Hey you're lucky. If that bullet hole was any bigger I don't know what I would have done. It was pure luck on your part that bone wasn't damaged."

Raph shrugged and went back to eating.

A/N: The mook yan jong is a wooden dummy meant to improve acurracy. I modifed it a bit and made the arms and legs spin. Please tell me if you understand my discription. Thanks!


	4. Dealing

Disclaimer: (cries bitterly) I don't own them!… and I'm not making any money off them.

A/N: Guess what guys! I just bought myself Daredevil over the weekend… causing my to write this little note. I swear I didn't get any of this stuff from that movie, despite how alike some parts may seem. The first eighty pages are already written and waiting to be edited… just thought I'd clear that up cuz some things I have in here are a lot like in Daredevil.

Oh and also guys. I know some of you are thinking it wouldn't be that hard for Raph to function as a ninja again but this is different than Leo fighting the Foot Tech ninjas or something like that. Just try this, go into a room with no windows (or do this at night when it's dark) turn off all the light so no light is coming in from anywhere and try to walk with confidence (without your hands out waving in front of you) it's hard and a bit scary. Leo stayed in one place while fighting for the most part. That can't happen in every fight. It's very easy to get disoriented.

Oh and the italics is a dream sequence.Happy reading!

**pacphys** Ah yes Donny's protectiveness comes from my sister. She is as shy as can be until I ask to do something I shoulIt't be doing then you don't mess with her! I also really enjoyed writing kiddy Mike. He was the original main character in this fic so I guess he should count his blessings! Raph was supposed to have a broken leg in the fight but I couldn't wait for it to heal so I changed it. I got that from a Gary Paulsen book 'The Hunt' only it was a kid that did it to a dog… I thought it sounded painful. I had writer's block when I wrote that part about them forgetting Kevin so you're right, it really didn't fit. Thank for reviewing!

**BubblyShell22**I'm certain I'm destine to have a blind husband. I plan on throwing myself into my work when I get older and I think work would be the only place I would have a chance to meet a guy. It doesn't matter though. I just want a guy who is the man of my dreams. Thanks for reviewing!

**ShikamaruChick**Alas Raphael has a very long hard road ahead of him, but I think you'll like the ending. It's a good thing that you could understand the mook yan jong I wasn't sure I wrote it right! Thanks for reviewing!

**Donny's Girl**Really? I might end up living in Michigan. There is a guide dog training school up there and I want to work there. It was only natural for me to have him come form Michigan. Thanks for reviewing!

**Lunar-ninja**And you think I'm bad for liking to write evil guys? You're laughing at a poor Raphael! Aw yes Mikey sitting on Raph's chest. That came from how my sister used to sit on mine when she wanted to get me down. I have long since learned how to get out of it though. I thrown my leg up over her neck, hence the reason Raph was kicking Mike in the head. Thanks for reviewing!

**Chibi Rose Angel**Welcome a board! Yes Kevin is a little on the girly side. He looks all man but those eyes are a dead give away that he's not as confident as he looks. Leo is just storing all his lectures away for latter for one great big lecture. I think all he can think about is how he could have down it different, how it could have been better. As for me hiding, I'm a writer in the works. I tend to write very very slow so I type a ton of it before I start to post. Thanks for reviewing and I compliment made me feel special!

* * *

SPLINTER: I feel as if suddenly our small family has hit a rocky patch in our road of life. Not long after we were all told Raphael was going blind, the inevitable happens. Blindness set in faster than any of us could have imagined. My initial thoughts when I was told about Raphael getting into a fight were full of anger and disapproval. He intended on a sever punishment for putting all our lives at risk. The boy even went so far as to show himself willingly to a human. Donatello was quick to inform me though that Raphael had indeed gone blind. I should have cancelled practice that night when I found out but I figured the rest of my sons could use the peace katas offered. I suddenly forgot about punishing Raphael. He must feel so lost. I can only imagine the thoughts that are going through his head. All we can do is be there for him and hope it is enough.

Raph winced as he heard the click of his crutches settling into place as he put his weight on them. If he continued like this the chances were high that Don would catch him. He used one crutch to gently search the direct area in front of him before he took another small step.

'click'

The Lair was dead silent except for the TV he had left on and that dreadful clicking that was going to be the end of him. He descended the stairs into the living room slowly and painfully. The last does of painkillers were wearing off and his arm was, starting to throb again.

"Raaph!"

He groaned inwardly as he took another step. Getting back to the couch unnoticed was just too much to ask for.

"What the shell do you think you're doing?"

Raph let out a sigh as he finally reached the couch and flopped back.

"Taking a pee break."

"You're not suppose to be on that leg!" Don all but screamed. Raph laughed silently to himself at the mental image Don's voice conjured; his brainy brother stomping his foot and having a fit.

"I have to do something Don. It's been a day and a half and I'm already going out of my mind!"

"That's what these are for."

There was a thump as Don threw a book down on Raph's plastron.

"What's this?"

"You tell me." He folded his arms over his plastron and waited with a smug look on his face as Raph felt the book on all sides.

"I give up Don. I'm stumped. What is it?"

"It's a Braille book. I picked it up today. There's a chart there too so you can translate from English to Braille."

"Um… Thanks. I think."

Raph wasn't sure if Don's present was a gift or a curse yet he slowly ran his fingers across the cover. All he felt was a line of bumps. They didn't seem like individual letters and they certainly didn't seem like they spelled anything out.

"You're welcome. At least it will keep you busy for awhile."

Raph grinned slightly. His need for action and movement even in his less than healthy state drove his doctor brother up the wall. He pulled the chart out and placed it above the book on his plastron so he could reach it easily. He would have to learn Braille sooner or later and anything was better than sitting there listening to the fly crucifying itself on the light bulb above him. He heard Donny exit the room as he settled down again.

They had all tried to be louder since yesterday, all of them except Master Splinter who continued to be his stealthy self, and when one of the boys made sure to walk heavily up the stairs or slam a door louder than normal Raph could feel the waves of disapproval float off of him.

Seconds later he heard Don's lab door slam. He shook his head. They were all trying so hard to make it easier for him to pretend like things were back to normal and for the most part, they were, but Raph never realized how much he took seeing for granted before.

When someone entered the room he couldn't turn and see who it was. He couldn't even count the number of times he heard his teeth clack together on an empty fork in the last two meals or his hand just missing his cup. Even knowing what time it was involved asking someone. All he had done that morning was listen to the TV. If he didn't find something better to do he would go out of his mind before the day was out.

Raph frowned as he felt the chart and book Don had given him. The chart was the alphabet in both English and Braille. Raph ran his fingers slowly over the large letter 'A' rising up from out of the paper. Above it he could feel a single dot. The letter 'B' had two dots over it but they weren't side by side. One was on top of the other in a line.

Raph tried to conjure up all he knew about Braille. When they were young he remembered Don showing them how blind people read and telling them about Louis Braille, the man who refined the Braille system for blind people. None of them had ever bothered to learn the language though. They had all learned bits and pieces of the Morse code for ninja purposes but never would they have thought they would have a need for Braille. Raph did remember some of the basic rules though. Each letter was made up of a combination of one to six raised dots arranged in two columns of three.

Once again his fingers went back to the book title. This time he felt over the first two columns, stopping at the end of the second. He felt over the two columns carefully. There were a total of four dots. The ones in the upper left and the bottom right were the only ones missing. He kept a mental idea of the shape in his head and went to the chart, running his fingers over all the raised dots until he found a combination that felt like what was on the book. He dropped his hand down and felt the letter below it 'T' the letter he just felt was 'T'. His fingers went from book to chart and after twenty minutes he allowed himself a slight grin. The name of the book was 'The Call of the Wild.' Don just had to pick out a book with a long title. He sighed as he opened the book to the first page. It would take him awhile but it would certainly keep him busy. As he felt the first letter he wondered what time it was. Hopefully it was close to dinner. He heard his stomach growl and wondered briefly it he should risk getting up and going to the kitchen. Probably not, getting yelled at by doctor Don twice in one afternoon was a no no, and getting yelled at by doctor Don twice in the same afternoon for the same crime was asking for death by lecture.

His brother wasn't normally so bossy but when someone got hurt not even Master Splinter would dare defy him and his knowledge. He was only looking out for the family. Raph understood that so he sat still and ignored his stomach. Don had said one week completely off of his leg and that's what he would do, at least for awhile. He would stay in one place until his painkillers really kicked in and the torture began to subside. Then he would tend to get a bit antsy. Though Don had learned this about his brothers long ago and now took them off the pain medication before they were ready, effectively keeping them from doing anything dumb. Raph wondered if Don would do that to him this time around. After all as soon as he was able to move again they had things to do. April had invited them to her new apartment at the end of the week and Don said Raph could go it his arm healed well enough to use the crutches. Raph figured that he was going for a sure thing already. His arm wound was scabbing over and as long as it didn't get ripped open again by something or other he could be good to go.

Raphael heard someone walk into the room shuffling their feet as they went so as not to startle him.

"Hey Raph, want some dinner?"

"Depends." He answered back. "Is Don in the kitchen yet?"

"No." Mikey was slightly puzzled as to Raph's inquiry but answered none the less.

Raph grinned as he closed the book and reached for a crutch.

"Then let's get going. He yelled at me once today for being up and if he sees me again he promised me he'd use me in one of his experiments."

Raph slung his injured arm over Mikey's shoulder and used the crutch for his other side. Mike chuckled as they entered the kitchen. Raph found his seat just as Don walked in. He quickly took in the situation and glared at his brother.

"Raph!" he warned, preparing for the lecture he was about to give.

"He helped me! I swear it on my shell he did!" Raph was quick to point all fingers at Mikey.

Don calmed down and nodded his head in approval at his orders being followed as he took his seat. Leo and Splinter soon entered also from where they had been talking in the dojo after evening practice.

"Bored to death yet Raph? Mikey asked as the meal got underway.

Leo glared slightly at his younger brother who was smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"I've died from boredom five times already today.

Mikey's grin widened.

"Good!"

Now everyone at the table was frowning at him. They watched as he pulled out a box from under his chair and slipped it into Raph's lap. Raph jumped violently, almost stabbing himself with his fork.

"That's gonna solve your boredom problem."

Raph put his fork down, completely puzzled as to what was on his lap.

"I've been working on it since last night when Kevin left. He gave me the idea."

Raph felt the box and could tell that there were areas where the cardboard was slightly more raised. He traced the four large letters with his finger but still remained confused.

"Life? Mike I don't get it."

"I modified the game so you can play it. I'll show you how it works after dinner. You guys can play too. He gestured to Don and Leo. They all brightened up, glad that Mikey had a good reason for saying what he had said. Leo smiled at Mike and gave him a nod for his work. He knew Mike was in his room all day, only coming out for meals and practice, but he figured he was just trying to work out this new hitch in their lives and let him be. This idea of Mike's was good though. When they were young they had all had their favorite games, Don's had been Monopoly, and Raph's, LIFE Mikey had liked Sorry and Leo had been a big Risk fan.

They all ate dinner faster than their normal fast to see exactly how Mikey had changed Raph's favorite game. By the time Splinter had finished his own meal at a regular pace and was making himself a cup of tea, his sons were gathered in a circle on the floor around the game board.

The old game had already been modified once to better fit the lifestyles of the boys. All the little plastic pegs that fit into the cars had been painted green except for one which had been painted gray. The heads of four of the pegs also had been striped with one of their colors. The careers had also been crossed out and changed to jobs like street patroller and Master ninja. The problems had been changed from having a tree fall on your house to having the Lair flood.

Now Mikey had added more. The path for the cars to take had been lined by thin wire and each block was separated by the same wire like speed bumps in the road. The money had slightly puffy number stickers on them and the symbols on the board now had different stickers on them. The payday boxes had a money sticker in the middle and the stop signs were raised off the board.

"This way you can know what's going on in the game."

"Mikey!" Don complained. "You used my wire I use for repairing circuit boards!"

"It was for a good cause though Bro!"

Raph felt over one of the intersections in the board where two wire arrows had been glued to symbolize a choice in direction.

"I was gonna put all of what the cards said on CD but I would have needed Don's computer for that."

"This is cool Mike."

Mikey beamed as Raph complimented his work.

"I thought you'd like it." He passed out the money and the cars and all four brothers enjoyed a relaxing evening with almost no fights.

Splinter watched from the kitchen as his sons laughed and made fun of one another. No one would have thought that two days ago tragedy had struck the family a huge blow. Raphael sat with his leg propped up on the corner of the coffee table and his shell leaning against the edge of the couch laughing along with his siblings as if his he hadn't been changed forever and he wasn't blind, but Splinter knew better. For Raph to get his life back to the way it was before he lost his sight he was going to have to work hard. Splinter knew the only reason it was so simple now was because his son was injured and unable to move around as freely as before. Once his wounds healed though he would be hit hard by the number of hurdles he would have to over come. Great amounts of frustration would be inevitable. So for now Splinter deemed it right for him to be having fun and kicking back while he still could.

Michaelangelo had worked hard during the day to fix Raphael's favorite game so he could still play it. Splinter could sense him being completely split between working on his project and keeping his brother busy during the day. He thought everything was ok now though. Michaelangelo thought that the worse was over and that Raphael had gotten out of his very small rut. It was not so though. Raphael was in a much bigger rut than any of them believed and Splinter knew it.

* * *

_Raph groaned as he awoke. _

_"Woah, weird dream," He muttered as he opened his eyes._

_"No dream Bro. It was real"_

_Raph's head snapped to the left and there was Don standing next to him sleeping. Wait standing? Next to him? What was Don doing in his room sleeping standing up? All Raph could muttered was a confused._

_"What?"_

_"I donno where Master Splinter is but it looks like we're caught good this time."_

_Raph leaned forward slightly and on the other side of the sleeping Don was Mike. Why were they in a line? He went to take a step out of the line but found himself unable to. His legs were latched just below the knee to a wooden board by heavy metal cuffs bolted directly into the board. Then it all came flooding back to him._

_The Lair had been invaded by Foot members. They had them in an enclosed area and took advantage if it, using gas like there was no tomorrow. After the tear gas came chloroform and that was the end of that._

_Right away Raph was more alert. Leo was to his left. He was also sleeping. A gash above his left eye seeped blood which ran down his cheek and onto his plastron. Mikey was right. Master Splinter was no where to be seen. He tried to look behind him but the combination of his shell and his legs being shackled down prevented him from doing any more than turning his head. _

_"Any escape plans brewing bro?"_

_Mikey's voice cut into Raph's exploration. He gave a negative shake of his head. He still felt the lingering effects of the chloroform and didn't feel like talking much. Beside him Leo groaned. His head tossed from side to side for a few moments but then he seemed to remember and his eyes snapped open._

_"Guys! The Foot!"_

_"We know." Raph crocked. _

_Leo pieced the puzzle together faster than Raph did. He immediately started to yank on the chains attaching their hands to the top of the wooden shelf. The racket he was making caused the ringing in Raph's ears to increase ten fold and he gritted his teeth, trying to block it out._

_An all too familiar voice announced its presence from the shadows before them. _

_"Oh good. You are awake." The metallic growl grated off their ears worse than Leo's escape attempts. _

_"Why don't you just die already?" Mikey sighed_

_His comment went unnoticed by the Shredder who continued to advance upon the four trapped brothers. His eyes flicked to a small grey figure tied up behind them. Fear and worry for his sons shown in his eyes. Yet he was unable to call out for the gag that was bound around his mouth. With an evil grin The Shredder's eyes flicked back to the teens before him._

_"I believe you have some information I need."_

_Three of the four gave him questioning looks. Don's head was still slumped again his plastron._

_"The Umtrons" He roared. "You've been helping them! Tell me where they are and I might let you live." His voice softened in a way only a dangerous evil maniac could manage._

_"We don't know idiot. We have as much of a chance finding them as you do!" Raph ground out. _

_Shredder could be so dumb sometimes. _

_"Then watch your brothers suffer one by one."_

_Shredder gave a nod to someone hidden in the darkness. There was the sound of water trickling as liquid flowed slowly down the shelf they were standing on toward them. The smell that followed though was what worried Raph. The tell tale smell of gasoline. It was then that Raph realized the shelf they all stood on was at a slight down ward slant with a lip near their toes to keep the gas flowing near them._

_Cold shivers ran down his spine when he realized what was going to happen, but it was too late to yell anything. Even though it wouldn't have made a difference. A sound of a match being struck and the gas burst into flames. No doubt Mikey had figured out was going to happen too because he shifted his feet uneasily, trying to free himself from his bonds. He gasped as the flames touched his feet and increased his efforts to escape. Sweat appeared on his face and every noise came from his mouth short of a scream. Finally just as the flames were reaching Don's feet he let out a scream of pure pain. Raph's eyes watered with tears, feeling his brother's pain, causing his eyesight to blur. Beside him Leo had his own eyes screwed shut and his head ducked, trying to block out the sounds._

_"Tell me and it will stop!" Shredder yelled over the crackling of the fire._

_"We don't know!" Leo roared back. He tugged at the chains holding his hands to the wood. "We don't know damn it! I swear I'm not only going to kill you for this Shredder. I'm going to make your life a living Hell you son of a…"_

_There was a slash and a sharp intake of breath from Leo as Shredder slashed his face with his claws, leaving two long bloodied marks down his left cheek._

_Raph jumped as the flames his feet. He had momentarily forgotten about his own fate. Instead his heart had gone out to Mikey whose cries had now died down to whimpers and moans. Don had been blissfully unaware of his turn at torture, being unconscious the whole time. Now Raphael closed his eyes and tried to block out his brother's cries and Leo cursing the Shredder in every language known to man. Now he had his own pain to bare and he focused on it and trying not to show any pain. It reminded him of when you were little and you just had to turn the hot water handle on the facet the whole way up and the cold on the whole way down and tried to keep your hand under the water as long as possible before you moved, but this time he couldn't move and the pain only got worse. Shredder's voice broke through his thoughts as he bickered with Leo._

_"Shut your mouth or your brothers shall pay the price."_

_"I'm going to rip you to pieces and chop you up and…"_

_"Enough!"_

_Raph opened his eyes in time to see Shredder's infamous claws come down in direct alignment with Don's neck._

_'No!' he screamed as he struggled with every once of his being._

_"_Raph! Raph! Wake up!"

"No!"

Raph shot straight up in bed and almost rammed straight into Leo who was trying to wake him. Sweat poured off his face and his heart was racing. Raph shivered as his mind replayed his dream over and over for him. It was terrible, watching all his brothers suffer. All he wanted now was to see his brothers and make sure they were alright but as he searched wildly about the room for them only darkness greeted him. He let out a small whimper that didn't go unnoticed by all standing in the room.

Don stepped forward and laid a hand on Raph's shoulder.

"Hey Raph, it was only a dream . You're safe now."

But saving himself wasn't what Raph was worried about. He grabbed onto Don's forearm just as he had done so many times already in the last three days to assure himself that he was really there.

"Where's Mike and Sensei?" He asked as he tried to calm himself down.

Splinter's soothing voice came from somewhere towards the back of the room.

"We are here my son. Perhaps you could tell us what your dream was about and get it off your mind?"

Raph laid back and rubbed his hands over his face now that he knew his family was safe. It wasn't as good as seeing them but it would have to do. His words were muffled as he spoke through his hands.

"Torture, pain, killing, the normal stuff. I'm alright you guys can leave."

"You sure Raph?" Leo asked. "You looked like it was bad."

"Yeah I'm good. Go back to bed."

They filed out of the room with a few 'good nights.' Raph stopped Don just as he was heading out the door.

"Hey Don?"

Don stopped and turned, one hand on the slightly ajar door.

"Yeah Raph?"

A puzzled look crossed Raph's face as he thought about how to ask his question.

"If gas was poured on your feet would the fire continued to burn after the gas was gone?"

Don's eyes grew slightly. No doubt the question had something to do with his dream. He wasn't sure if he should tell Raph the truth or not but against his better judgment he did.

"Yeah, in fact the chemical burn from the gas would be worse than the burn from the fire. An infection would no doubt happen. I wouldn't be surprised if you lost both your feet."

"Thanks Don."

"Yup. Night Bro."

Don wondered back to his lab. He had fallen asleep at his computer searching for information and was only waken up when he heard Raph's commotion. Now he sat back tiredly in his chair, disconnected the internet and shut down his computer. Hours of searching and he had found nothing. He would have thought that there would have been a lot on the net about how blind people got on, but all he could find was about how simple and safe detached retinal surgery was.

"Yeah," he thought "simple for an experienced eye doctor with access to atheistic."

It made him mad. Raph's blindness might of as well been his fault. The remedy to his problems had been so close yet so far. If he had tried harder or been willing to make friends with the eye doctor earlier he might have saved Raph's vision, but his fear of being discovered by society stopped him and cost Raph. Now it was up to him to help Raph. There aren't too many 'sorry for causing your blindness.' Hallmark cards out there.

Don sighed as he got up from his chair and turned off his desk lamp.

He wished he could take Raph's place somehow and let him have his sight back. Every time he thought of what Raph was going through his stomach churned as if to kick him for being dumb. Well not exactly dumb, just not smart enough. He wasn't smart enough to help Raph. What he lacked was common sense. Ever since he was a pet shop turtle he had lacked common sense. If he was put on the spot he would sit there and stutter. Even as a little one he needed to time to sort things out. As he got older he grew out of such things, but sometimes his clutzy side still showed through.

He climbed up the fire escape to the second floor and trudged to his room. The day had been draining and he longed for the comfort of his bed.

Don gave a large yawn as he entered his room. Without bothering to turn on the lights he stumbled tiredly over to his bed while taking off his pads and mask. He let out a long sigh as he slipped between the covers and let his fatigue consume him. He was almost asleep before his head it the pillow. With hopes that tomorrow would be better running through his head.

Back in his room Raph still sat up in bed. Unlike the rest of his family he was wide awake thinking about his nightmare. He hardly ever dreamt anymore and when he did even though the images were often quite gruesome they could hardly be considered nightmares. What he experienced tonight definitely earned the title of nightmares of nightmares though. It wasn't the images that made it terrible. The look on Mike's face as his feet were burned was bad but it wasn't as bad as the feelings that exploded inside Raph's chest, ripping him in two. He had felt Mikey's pain and Leo's anger and fear. He and felt the evil of the Shredder inside of him and part of him thought that was the scariest feeling of all. Donny's uncaring attitude to what was going on around him due to his unconscious state bit into his psyche and made him want to scream. He felt all the different forms of torture all at once from his brothers in his nightmare. Now it was enough to keep him up. Ever time he closed his yes he saw the dreadful scene again. He would open his eyes with a jolt but the vision didn't go away. His blindness was now another place where the problems that worried his head could thrive.

Raph growled and shook his head as if to toss the image out. No way was he going to get to sleep again tonight.

What did it matter anyway? Night was like day to him as a ninja and now day was like night as a blind turtle. It made no difference what time he slept for now daylight didn't pass through his eyelids. He was in forever night, a place where a ninja should thrive. It didn't feel like he was thriving. He was drowning, a plant with too much water.

"Yeah drowning in self pity." His mind told himself: 'Get yourself off your shell and stop feeling sorry for your self.' Raph laughed at himself for this. If he did as he told himself to do Don would have his head for not following doctors orders. He got what his mind was trying to get at none the less. So he pushed the thoughts from his head and felt around for the book he had brought into his room after dinner. He had made it an amazing half a page and had forgotten most of what he had already read. It didn't matter though. This was just a learning experience for him right now. After his arm healed a bit he would be able to use his crutches to get around a bit and not long after that he would be able to get rid of the crutches all together and get back to doing normal stuff. For now he would just have to entertain himself with the book Don had given him.

Raph smiled slightly at a flashback of that evening. It was nice to spend quality time with his brothers. To his surprise Mike's game worked quite well for him. He got to participate instead of just sitting there and listening . Splinter even joined in after awhile. After one full game and many laughs later they all retired to bed. It was nice though. Raph could almost feel the grin on Mikey's face for what he had done.

The trademark Mikey grin that Raph had imagined quickly turned into the face of a tortured soul. His screams echoed through the corridors in Raph's head and the feelings of anguish came back full fledged.

Raph growled and shook his head. That nightmare just wasn't going to leave him alone. He huffed a bit as he pushed the whole thing deeper into his mind and went back to deciphering his book. He couldn't let this thing eat at him.


	5. Talking

A/N Thanks for all the wonderful reviews guys! I love you all! This chapter is being posted in celebration of me completing the Shakespeare unit in English class!

Disclaimer: Technically, according to works cited, nothing we know is ours. We learned it all from somewhere right? Well apparently it needs to be given credit in a little thing called a bibliography. None the less the turtles are not mine and I'm not making any money.

Pacphys: Personally I loved that story. It's the only version of Call of the Wild that I like, and Raph really is a bad patient. Reverse psychology works rather well on him. If you tell him to stay in bed he gets out and if you tell him to get out he complains. The idea of the Life game came to me when I was out hunting with my dad. I had really bad writer's block and he kinda got mad at me when I started giggling because I thought up the idea of that life game. (When we hunt we're dead silent the WHOLE day … a very hard thing for me to do) Thanks for reviewing!

ShikamaruChick: Well about a year ago I went through a faze where I had all these morbid dreams. (Let's just say aliens hanging people on meat hooks behind my house) I thought it would be the perfect thing for Raph to go through cuz it scared the crap outta me! You know how you feel really weird after waking up from a nightmare and you don't feel great the rest of the day? Well poor Raphy… I guess I thought he didn't have enough problems. Thanks for reviewing!

BubblyShell22: I hope to learn Braille this summer. There' s a nice school for the blind down in Pittsburgh that I keep on hearing about too… which I hope to visit this summer. I was just wondering… does either your friend or your boyfriend have a guide dog? Sorry I'm being nosey but I love the pups.

Ah yes I felt that Mike wasn't really doing a lot to help but I knew he should so I had him busy in his room making the game. He's such a good little brother. Thanks for reviewing!

Chibi Rose Angel: The first time I saw I didn't like it but I watched the extras and I looked at it again and I thought 'you know what? That's really cool!' so now It's one of my favorites. You gotta love Mikey. He's a great little brother. I think he kinda knew how useless Raph was feeling. Thanks for reviewing!

Lunar Ninja" Aw thank you! I try hard to write all the guys in character but I think I love Raph the best. (With Mike and Don as very close seconds… in fact I'm not really sure who I love the most) I thought the Risk game fit Leo rather well. My sister's and I used to play it. Lol my older sister always won… now she's going on to become a cop… go figure! Really? There's no 'M' in Utrom? Hmm… thanks for telling me that! I never would have known! Yeah I don't like using a ton of curse words and more than two in a chapter is too much for me. I think it takes away from the story. That whole scene was written for Leo. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Leo concentrated on the imaginary enemy before him. He moved through his kata quickly, putting power behind his punches and kicks, yet he couldn't seem to move fast enough. Beside him he knew his brothers were having the same problems. Mentally he reminded himself of what Master Splinter had said. They were doing this exercise to build up speed. Doing katas underwater would slow them down, so when they were out of water they would fight faster.

Leo sped his pace up when he realized he was running out of air. He hastily bowed to his fake opponent and kicked off the bottom of the river.

He came to the surface with a loud 'pwah ' as he greedily gulped in more fresh air than his lungs could handle. Mikey was already up there sitting with Master Splinter and Don was just finishing up behind him.

Leo gave Mikey a look and scratched his head as he swam over to the edge.

"How'd you get done so fast Mike?"

Mikey grinned

"I worked with the current. Splinter never said we couldn't."

Leo grouched that he did double the work but Splinter interrupted them.

"Now my sons. You shall spar one on one under the water hand to hand. Donatello and Michaelangelo shall go first. Since Raphael is not here you will each get a break when Leonardo will sub in."

Raph's voice came from behind them.

"Who says Raph's not here?"

Still in the river Don all but screamed as he slapped the water.

"I give up! Raph your hopeless!"

Raph showed no reaction to Don's outburst. He had climbed down the stairs and was heading towards the bridge. It was quite clear his mood was sour.

"Relax Don. See? One crutch. I'm not using this arm."

"You can't tell me you didn't use your arm coming down here on those fire escape stairs and I highly doubt you just jumped! That's it! No more pain killers!"

"Fine then let me suffer." Raph answered nonchalantly.

By this time Raph had made it to the middle of the bridge and plopped himself down. He felt for one of the bars running from banister to walkway and leaned his shell against it.

"Raph I swear the next time I see you up you're gonna regret it! You're gonna wish you…"

Splinter's walking stick came flying through the air and delivered a whack to Don's carapace. Don let out a yelp of surprise. He bobbed slightly in the water.

"Donatello back to practice. You and Michaelangelo will spar underwater now!"

Don rubbed his shoulder where he had been hit. He bowed his head to his Master as he was not able to bow completely, still being in the water. He let out all his air so he could sink and dove under the water while Mike cannon balled in right behind him, effectively soaking the once dry Master Splinter.

Leo watched as the two green blobs below bounced back and forth. He took the break time he had to take off his bandanna and ring it out. For some reason he had forgotten to take it off when Splinter sent them into the water and there was nothing worse than the feel of wet fabric against his skin. He watched as the blobs danced closer and closer to the surface of the water, quickly turning into the silhouettes of two turtles. Their heads broke the surface with loud 'pwah's' and gasp for air. From the corner of his eye Leo noticed Raph jump slightly, but tried to cover his surprise by shifting his weight where he sat and coughing softly.

Don swam over to the side and climbed out as he told Master Splinter the details of their underwater spar. Meanwhile Leo jumped in so he could get adjusted to the cool water again.

Mike held up his hand just as Leo was ready to dive under. He floated on his back, still breathing heavily.

"Give me a sec dude. It's harder than it looks. "

Leo nodded in understanding while he treaded water.

"Who was in the lead?" He asked as Mikey tried to slow his breath.

Don answered from the edge where he had sat down and was dangling his feet in the water.

"Mikey was, but not by much. It's cuz he's a dead weight in the water. You can kick him till your foot falls off and he wouldn't move, sinks right to the bottom and stays there!"

Mikey sat up in the water and sunk immediately, but started treading water before his head could go under.

"It's no my fault Donny boy, but that's what happens when you're made of pure muscle, you tend to sink."

"No, it's cuz you can use your air bladder better."

Mikey's grin grew wider at the thought of being the best in yet another thing. His grin faded slightly and a frown covered his face.

"What's an air bladder?"

Don sighed. Mikey could be so dumb sometimes.

"Aquatic animals have a pouch that sits on top of their stomach that's full of air. When they want to sink it contracts and air is squeezed out. When they want to float it fills again. It's why we can float so easy. It's also how fish and other animals can deal with the pressure of the water. The deeper you go into the ocean the more prominent it is. If you were to bring a fish that lives at the bottom of the ocean up to the top they wouldn't live because their air bladders aren't used to shrinking that much and the lack of pressure up here would…"

Leo sighed. Don had lost him after he started talking about pressure.

"Alright Don. I think Mikey understands."

Mikey opened his mouth and held up a finger to say he was lost too but Leo stopped him.

"Let's go spar Mike."

He dove under the surface, dragging Mikey with him by the wrist.

This area of the river was fairly deep and they went down about fifteen feet before they reached the bottom. He turned to face Mikey who was situated about four feet from him and they bowed to each other simultaneously. Mike didn't waste any time in attacking as they could only stay underwater for about eight minutes before their human attributes demanded air. He tried a reverse punch quickly followed by a roundhouse kick of which Leo both blocked. He delivered his own onslaught of punches and kicks.

Mikey was doing good against him and Leo could just see he was searching for an opening. Leo feinted a sidekick and concentrated on floating a bit. Mike fell for the feint just as Leo floated to about head height and delivered a full forced kick to his upper plastron. Mike stumbled back in slow motion from the pressure of the water.

Normally Mike would just get back up and the fight would continue, but this was an underwater spar and if given the chance it could go on until both of them ran out of air, so the boys would pretend they were out of water and any strike that would floor the other they would consider that the winning hit.

Mike swam back closer to Leo and once again they shared the customary bow and raced each other to the surface. Almost before his head broke the surface Mike was blabbing away. He swam to shore as he complained, his voice slightly muffled by the rushing water.

"Sensei, Leo cheated!"

"I did not!" He nearly shouted indignantly.

But Mikey continued to blab.

"He used the water to cheat Sensei! Make 'im do flips!"

By this time Mike had made it over to the side and was hauling himself up onto the bank. Leo was close behind him but was taking his time. He didn't want his rebuttal to be drowned out by the rushing current.

"Master Splinter I used the water to stay at about head height and kick him in the chest as he was blocking a feint. I was using my surroundings like you taught us. Sides Mike you used the current to get done with your katas faster. It I was cheating then you were too."

Splinter sighed. His sons seemed to just be in a quarrling mood this morning. He put a paw to his left temple and rubbed it in small circles. If there was one thing he couldn't stand it was his sons bickering.

"Michaelangelo, Leonardo is right. A ninja it to use their environment to the best of their ability. You should have been prepared. Leonardo, Donatello, continue with your sparring for another one half hour before cooling down. I shall be in my room."

His sons always managed to work out their problems amongst themselves but Splinter learned long ago that he didn't enjoy being around them from the time the problem started to the time it ended. Today his sons could quarrel amongst themselves while he stayed in his room.

Back in the living room Mikey had already gotten board. Don and Leo had went under to spar only minutes before but to Mike is seemed like much longer than that. He glanced over to the bridge to see that Raph had nodded off. Mike grinned and flicked some water at him. Raph jerked awake and shook the water off his face.

"Whah?" His voice was still a little husky with fatigue.

"Wake up Raphael. You slept yesterday away. Aren't you kinda all slept out?"

"Bug off Mike. I ain't in the mood."

Raph tiredly rubbed at the back of his neck. He had only gotten about two hours worth of sleep after his nightmare and even that had been fitful. A yawn escaped his lips.

"Last night was bad wasn't it?" Mikey asked, all kidding aside.

"Yeah it was." He stated simple. Mike nodded and turned his attention back to the water. "You got your feet set on fire."

"Ow" Mikey scrunched his face up at the imagined pain. Raph continued as if he never heard him.

"Leo was getting the crap beat out of him by the Shredder, and Don got beheaded."

Mikey's eyes grew and he put a hand to his neck and was about to say something when Raph spoke up again. "and I couldn't do anything about it. I was getting burned too but it wasn't as bad as you guys. I could see it happening but I couldn't stop it."

Mike held up his right hand in a cub scout honor sign.

"I promise not to go near any open flames for awhile."

Raph chuckled softly but quickly grew serious again.

"It was a nightmare though. Everyone was getting hurt except for me. The worse forms of mental and physical torture all rolled into one." Raph sighed and seemed to snap out of his trance. "Anyway I couldn't get back to sleep last night, ended up reading the rest of the night. My fingers feel like they're permanently bent."

"So, Mike asked slowly. "I take it you're gettin the hang of reading Braille?"

Again Raph chuckled. "I read all night and I made it one page. I don't even remember what the heck I read. It'll keep me busy for awhile though. There's three hundred some pages."

Leo and Don came flying up from underwater, both panting for all they were worth.

"You're turn Mike." Leo called as he swam toward shore.

* * *

Leo watched Raph as Raph watched TV. Now would be the best time to do this. Raph had calmed down some what and the initial shock of him being blind was over. It he put it off, a time like this might not come again, so Leo slowly approached the couch where Raph sat with his leg propped up on the coffee table. Leo slipped into the chair caddy corner from Raph and leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Why'd you go and do it when you knew full well that you could just speed up the time you had left to be among the seeing?"

Raph's head jerked in his direction, a clear sign that Raph didn't know he was there but it wasn't as bad as him jumping. Raph's anger at the sudden realization that he was being lectured quickly covered any surprise.

"I'm not in the mood Leo." He ground out. He was starting to sound like a broken record, having told Mike the very same thing only that morning but he really wasn't in the mood to be teased or lectured or to talk at all for that matter.

"You could have asked for help Raph."

"Oh yeah like you would say yes to helping me corner a doctor and getting him to operate on my eyes."

"You know he got injured in the fight, by one of your sherkins. You injured an innocent. Is that what you wanted Raph, to injure an innocent?"

"You know full well that wasn't what I wanted Leo!" Raph nearly shouted back at his brother. "If he got in the way there was nothing I could have done about it!"

"You could have planned it Raph. If you would have let us in on the deal we could have come up with a better plan and things might have turned out alright!"

"Should have Could have Would have. It's all over and done with and I'm paying the price, so just drop it Leo!"

"But why did you do it?"

This question seemed to calm Raph down a bit but it was still quite evident in his voice when he spoke that he was still stressed and angry.

"You would have done the same thing in my place Leo."

Leo paused and straightened up somewhat. Would he have done the same thing? If he was panicked and scared about losing his vision would he corner an eye doctor in a dark alley? No, he decided. He would have done it slightly different.

"I wouldn't have waited for him to get jumped just to have a reasonable explanation to show myself." He shot back rather hotly. Raph had done many things wrong that night and letting Kevin get jumped was one of them.

"Yeah and like sneaking into his office after hours and scaring him half to death by telling him a great big green monster was stalking him would have been a whole lot better."

"You didn't plan Raph. You thought of one option and you took it without thinking of the consequences.

"Plan plan plan. That's you answer to everything isn't it Leo? You know what I'm done with this!"

Raph got up and grabbed for his crutches but knocked them to the floor. He growled as he bent to get them. He quickly found both and hopped off leaving Leo with his mouth open.

Leo's eyes grew as he noticed Raph was heading straight for Mikey's skateboard. "Raph watch out!"

But it was too late. Both crutches landed on the skateboard and Raph shifted his weight. The board slipped from under him and he fell to the floor, catching himself on his injured arm.

"Ahh!" He yelled as he quickly brought his arm up to his chest and his shell hit the floor with a clack. Leo rushed over to him, all hard feelings of the fight forgotten.

"Raph! You alright?"

Leo tried to help him up but Raph ripped his arm from Leo's grip and struggled to stand up on his own.

"'m fine." He grumbled. Apparently he hadn't forgotten their exchange of words so readily. He grabbed his crutches again and kicked Mike's board across the floor as he headed off to his room.

Leo sighed and flopped back on the couch as soon as Raph was out of sight.

"Ok now what did that solve idiot?" He mumbled to himself.

Leo turned as a new voice answered him.

"Solve what?"

Kevin entered the Lair as Leo gave him a quizzical look.

"Don left the door open. I called and said I was coming down." He jerked a thumb back over his shoulder towards the door. "How's Raphael?"

Leo sighed. "Pissed, you just missed a fun little fight, of which at the end he tried to leave and fell unceremoniously on his shell."

"Fight about what?" Kevin asked as Leo scooted over to make room for him on the couch.

"bout how he approached you."

"You mean in a dark alley surrounded by thugs in a hopeless situation of which he got me out of?"

Leo sighed.

"I've been thinking about it and it seems kind of odd that Raph would be there when you, an eye doctor, got attacked so soon after he found out he was going blind.

"What are you saying?"

Leo heaved himself up off the couch and strolled over to where Mike's skateboard had landed. He picked it up and inspected it for damage.

"I think he set it up. Why would so many thugs be there to mug one person?"

Kevin shrugged.

"I don't blame him."

Leo cocked his head to the side. Now that was something he wasn't expecting.

"You don't?"

"Well not really. I mean if you were in his position wouldn't you do the same thing?"

Leo smiled.

"Raph asked me the same thing. Truth be told I don't know. I know there were other ways for him to go about doing it and I understand why he chose the one he chose. It's Raph for goodness sakes. He'd do anything for a fight, but for the life of my I can't figure out why he had to be so dumb about it. I mean he surrounded himself with over twenty thugs then expected to take them all down and come out unscathed easy as pie, not to mention risking your life."

"Maybe he had to do it. No other way seemed right for him and that DID seem like his only solution. It may not have been the best one as the time but it felt right for him, like the only choice he could actually possibly pull off. If you're fighting there isn't exactly a whole lot of room to talk. It takes out the embarrassing introduction and explanations."

Leo gave him a hard look again and shook his head.

"Did you minor in psychology?"

"I took a few classes, read a few book. I'm not a Freud but I can hold my own in the psychology department."

Don waltzed into the living room headed towards the kitchen when he noticed Kevin sitting on the couch.

"Oh hey Kev. You ready to work on that rain water thing? Let me just go and get my stuff, be back in a sec."

"Rain water thing?" Leo questioned as Don flew out of the room.

"Yeah" Kevin nodded. "Don was telling me how you guys were having a problem with the rain water coming in here and I was going to show him what we did back in Michigan to keep the rain water from getting into our basement every spring."

Don came running back with his duffel big slung over his shoulder.

"Alright, let's get going."

Kevin got up from the couch and followed Don out with a wave in Leo's direction.

Don and Kevin strolled down the sewers with Don leading the way slightly. Finally Kevin broke the silence.

"So I hear Raph took a spill."

"Is that what that big crash was? Shell, knowing him he probably popped a few stitches. I was going to let him start using the crutches after another day or two but with the way he's going that arm is never going to heal right. Only this morning he climbed down the fire escape by himself."

Kevin chuckled.

"He sounds like quite the free spirit."

"He sounds more like quite the idiot to me. To get him to sit for more than a few hours when his injured you have to either strap him down or knock him out but when he's in perfectly good health he's like a humanoid log, couldn't get him to go anywhere or do anything if his life depended on it. It's a nightmare being his doctor."

Don slowed to a halt and pointed a storm drain out to Kevin.

"I think most of the water is coming from this one here and probably a few above it."

"Ok so now we have to find what route the water is taking and find the easiest way to change it's route. Water take's the easiest path to follow."

"Right," Don nodded. "You can still see where the water went the last time it rained." Don pointed to the squiggly grooves in the soot along the floor where the water had carried the loose garbage away.

"This is going to be simple." Kevin state as they walked along the water trail. "A few hours tops."

Don only nodded.

* * *

Kevin sighed as he threw his house keys on the side table next to the door. The project had definitely taken longer than him and Don had suspected. Don had invited him back for a very late dinner but Kevin politely declined. He had work in the morning and he needed to get a hot shower before he headed off to bed. He stunk! All day and partly into the night the two of them had worked. They had been so wrapped up in their work that they hadn't even noticed that it had passed midnight until Leo came out searching for Don. The project was only half done but it was coming along well.

Now Kevin dragged his feet tiredly as he removed his light jacket and hit the play button on his answering machine. A mechanical voice announced the date and the time of the call before there was a beep and a cheery lady's voice broke in.

"Hey Kevvy! It's your oh so sexy girl friend!" She chirped. "I was wondering if you were still coming home this weekend or not but I guess your not in so give me a call when you get this message. Love you! Bye!"

"Dude you never told us you had a girlfriend!"

The smile Kevin had on his face dissipated and he dropped the phone he had just picked up, jumping and turning in the same instant, he looked like a startled deer in the headlights. He noticed quickly after his near heart attack that the house invader was not in fact a robber or murderer but rather one of his new turtle friends. He clutched both hands to his chest and let out a breath.

"You scared me Mike. I thought you were… hey!" A questioning look crossed Kevin's face. "How's you get in here? It's the third floor."

Mike in turn tried out the couch, acting out his nonchalant self.

"I'm a ninja dude how else would I get in here?"

Silence accompanied Kevin's questioning look.

"Fire escapes, windows, and decorative ledges."

More silence from Kevin.

"So," Mike changed the subject. "You never told us you had a girlfriend."

"I don't." Kevin answered.

"Then who was that on the phone?" He pointed towards the answering machine.

"Oh that was my sister. She's a teaser. I'm supposed to go home this weekend I haven't seen them since Christmas and I'm way over due for a trip back up there… so." Kevin paused.

"What exactly ARE you doing here at one thirty in the morning?"

"I wanted to ask you something about Raph."

Kevin could have figured that much. The only two in the family not to have talked to him about Raph today were Raph himself and Splinter.

"I was wondering what else we could do for him."

At this rate Kevin was never going to get to bed.

"Well," He started as he wondered around his apartment doing the little things he should have done when he got home from work.

"There's always a seeing eye dog. I grew up across the street from the American Guide Dog Association. That's where my sister met her best friend, Anna. I'm sure she still has some connection there. The organization wouldn't be too happy about giving up a trained dog to an untrained owner but I'm sure with the right story we could pull it off."

"Really?" Mike's face brightened up. "You mean we could get a dog for Raph and things would be back to normal?"

"Well not all better. This are never going to be the same for your family ever again." Kevin picked up his basket of dirty laundry and placed it by the door, ready to be taken out and washed the next day. "But it would give him some independence back. I'm not giving you my guarantee. The dogs are hard to get under normal circumstances and we need to go against a lot of their polices to get one."

"Hey dude if there's a will there's a way! So," he asked again, changing the subject. "Do you plan on taking any of your friends home with you? Some green mutant ones maybe?"

"Mike, can we talk about this some other day? I have to get a shower and I have four hours until I have to be up for work."

"Oh yeah! Sure thing dude. Thanks for the idea. Don't worry I'll let myself out."

"Hey Mike," Kevin called as the turtle headed towards the window. He turned around.

"Yeah?"

"If you're really worried about Raph come by tomorrow sometime after six and I'll show you some things that will make it easier for him."

Mike grinned and nodded his head.

"Yeah. Alright. Thanks! I'll see you tomorrow Kev."

* * *

A/N/ I apologize for the lateness of this chapter guys, but I blame Shakespeare. When I wasn't at track practice I was working on my Shakespeare homework. Thanks for reading guys! 


	6. Coping

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Lunar-Ninja- Alas… it's Raphael's job to make Don go nuts. He's pretty darn good at it if you ask me. I'm not sure if only fish have air bladders. I learned about it in fish camp and I naturally assumed hat semi aquatic turtles had them too though I think you may be right… I'll have to look that one up. Thanks for pointing it out though and thanks for reviewing!

Tbreader- (Giggles) Hello and welcome! Don't worry about the guide dog thing… I'm trying to get the guys to explore all their options. I really struggled for awhile on weather or not I was going to give Raph a dog to help him or not (not an official guide dog mind you… just a well trained street dog) but in the end I opted for… oh I'll just make you read it and find out. Thanks bunches for reviewing!

Chibi Rose Angel- Yes Kevin is back and he will appear a few more times but only in small places here and there. I really didn't want to bring a new person into the turtles' lives with this story so I'm trying to minimize his role as much as possible. Leo is being a bit of a butthead but as you'll see he's got his own way of dealing with this. Kevin's sister was so much fun to write. I don't even know why I came up with that but I did and I was giggling like a mad man while writing it. Thanks for the review!

pacphys- Raph enjoys giving Don a hard time I think. It adds spice to his daily routine. Drat! Sorry about the 'it' thing. I beta my own stuff so I know a few things are bound to slip through the cracks. I appreciate you telling me though. Everyone seems to love Kevin! I originally planned on having the guys meet up with the butcher next door to Kevin but for some reason or another I didn't Thanks for reviewing!

BubblyShell22- I was just wondering because like I said before I love guide dogs… I have yet to meet one in real life but I hope to this summer. I would suggest that your boyfriend get a guide dog but it really is all about preferences and how much you really like pets. Then there is that whole going away for a month to get trained thing… although I'm told that it's a good time. Thanks for the review!

LenniluvsBrian- Hello and welcome aboard! To answer your comment about guide dogs… they all have a bit of multiple personality disorder. They know that when they are in the harness that it's time to work and there is no time for messing around but outside of the harness they act just like normal dogs. They are very social dogs so they do need a lot of care and attention. Thanks bunches for the review and I hope to hear form you again soon!

Isis-Lament- Isn't it weird to see how people think they'd react? I really don't think I hit the nail on the head quite right but maybe by the end of the story I'll be closer. At first I was going to have Mike be the blind one but after I saw Raph and Lone Cub hat all changed. Thanks for the review and I hope to hear again from you soon!

Raph, couldn't sleep again. He had turned in just before Don got home, tired from his sleepless night before. The realm of dreams had called him and he got to sleep with out a problem but now he was awake again. Raph was used to waking up in the middle of the night only to roll over and see he still had a few hours to sleep and konk out again.

Tonight he awoke from a relatively dreamless sleep and rolled over as was his normal routine only to find he couldn't see the clock. Listening carefully, he couldn't hear any movements outside his door and figured it was still the dead of night or early morning. So he sighed and tried to go back to bed but the failure or change in color when he closed his eyes bugged him to no end. It was like sleeping with the light on, closing your eyes didn't help any.

Now hours later he tossed again as he tried to claim some sleep for himself. He was dead tired but when he lived in the dark it was like sleeping in the dark wasn't good enough anymore.

He rolled over again with a slight growl, and briefly entertained the thought of trying to read some more. That book was cursed though. Four days and he had only made it six pages. He could now recognize the letters 'a' and 'I' without referring to the chart but he still wasn't any Helen Keller. He turned down the idea though. He wanted sleep and reading wasn't going to help him get it.

Instead he felt gently around his wounded arm. It had started hurting like the dickens after he fell on it and he had no doubt popped a few stitches. When he was fighting with Leo he tried to be the old Raph and storm off. He had forgotten about his impairment though in his anger and lost face for it. Once his leg healed he would be able to storm off again but it wouldn't keep him from tripping over things. The second he fell Leo went from high and mighty 'why'd you do it' leader to instant big brother nurse. Well it wasn't going to happen anymore. Raph didn't want anymore help from his brothers. As of today he would go back to doing things on his own, without help.

These thoughts rolled through Raph's mind until finally he could hear his family moving around in the lair getting ready for morning practice. This seemed to settle him. He rolled away from the door, muffling some of the noise and dropped back into a deep, well needed sleep.

"Raphael!" Splinter called sharply. Raph stopped dead in his tracks and cringed slightly. He turned in the direction of his voice, spilling forth an explanation before he could be chastised anymore.

"Don said I could use the crutches today Sensei! I swear! Ask him!"

Splinter shook his head.

"No Raphael I know. Where have you been all morning?"

Raph straightened up when he figured out he wasn't in trouble.

"Sleeping." He stated simply.

"Now that Donatello has permitted you to be on your feet I insist that you attend morning practice with your brothers despite your injuries."

"Aw Sensei! What am I gonna do for four hours?"

"Meditate. Once you have healed completely you shall go back to regular practice, but for now you shall meditate while your brothers practice."

Raph let out a noise half between a growl and a sigh. He hated meditating and he really didn't want to go all comatose the moment he woke up for four hours straight while his brothers tried to knock each other's blocks off. But Splinter wasn't about to be ignored and the last thing Raph wanted after his disgraceful fight with Leo last night was another round with Splinter.

"Do I have to?"

"Do you need to?" Splinter asked back.

Raph let out another frustrated sigh. That question coming from Splinter translated into. 'It'll be good for you.'

"I'll meditate in the morning Master Splinter."

Splinter smiled and gave a slow nod of his head.

"A wise choice Raphael."

Raph continued on his way to the couch as Splinter padded softly out of the room. He felt around for the remote for a good few minutes but couldn't seem to find it so instead he hung his head back, feet on the coffee table, and closed his eyes. Mike came running through the living room, skateboard in hand, dressed up in his topside gear.

"Hey Raph." He called as he headed towards the door. "If anyone asks I went topside for a bit to visit with Kev."

"'a'right" Raph muttered back. Remembering why he was sitting there doing northing, he sat up and called to Mike who was already halfway out the door.

"Hey Mike, where'd the remote go?"

Mike turned and quickly spotted the remote on the floor next to Splinter's chair. He grabbed it up and tossed it Raph's way.

"Catch." He had turned around and was headed towards the door again before he realized what he did when he heard the remote clatter to the floor. He turned again slowly to see Raph with his arms folded, not even trying to search for the remote he had failed to catch.

"Oh sorry bro." He scooped it up again and dropped it onto Raph's lap. "Forgot."

Raph sat there for another second before he picked up the remote and pitched it across the room. It's speedy flight was abruptly stopped by a wall. The controller broke into small pieces as it fell to the floor. Raph got to his feet. This time he was more careful in finding his crutches and hopping off to his room again. Losing face in front of Leo was bad but he couldn't lose face in front of Mike.

Mikey stood with a pained expression on his face as he heard Raph's door slam shut. His shoulders slumped slightly and he ducked his head a bit. He walked into the kitchen and scratched down a quick note that he was going out . He hung it on the fridge and headed towards the door again.

Raph may be in the bad mood of all bad moods but it wasn't going to stop him from going out. After all he was doing this for him.

Mike hopped across the tiny stream of scumy sewer water flowing down the middle of the tunnel and hopped on his skateboard. If he was fast he would get to Kevin's ten minutes before noon. He'd have a little time to waste before Kevin's lunch break.

He was speeding off on his skateboard when a flash of green came across his peripheral vision. Doing an about face and nearly falling off his board from the momentum, he peered down the tunnel to see Don crouched down working on something. Stepping on his board to flip it up into his hands Mike ran up to Don.

"Hey Donny. What chya doin?"

Don sat back, trowel in hand.

"I'm reshaping the tunnel here so the water runs away from the lair. The problem is getting the cement to stay at the right angle while it dries. I tried mixing it thicker but it still slides down, just more slowly. So I have to sit here and scrape it back up until it dries.

Mike nodded and gave a fake yawn.

"Boring!" He gave Don a pat on the shoulder as he hopped back on his skateboard. "I feel sorry for ya Don. I gotta get goin or else I'm gonna miss Kevin's lunch break.

"Wait, your going topside to see Kevin? Why?"

But Don's question was lost on Mike's ears. He was already turning the corner to the main tunnel, but he flipped a hand up in an awkward wave.

Twenty minutes later Mike arrived breathless at Kevin's office window, he slid it open and let himself in.

Kevin wasn't there yet but Mikey could hear his voice just outside the door conversing with someone.

Looking around he saw what seemed to be a pretty ordinary office, ordinary meaning deadly boring. A desk situated in the far right corner of the room, sat covered in neatly stacked papers, caddy corner to the small window he just entered through. Two large filing cabinets stood in the corner behind him to his left. These too were neatly organized little labels stuck to the front of each drawer announced what was held with in. To the right of the door upon walking in was large unidentifiable office plant that was a cross between a leafy tree and a tall bush. It was probably fake Mike surmised as he continued his survey of the room. Just beyond the plant in the far right hand corner two oak book cases stood perpendicular to one another full of books.

Mikey moseyed over to where the desk was and plunked himself down in the comfortable office chair, propping his feet up on the desk. Just then Kevin's voice on the other side of the door got closer as the knob turned slowly.

"Alright Joelyn. I'm taking my lunch break now but call me when she comes alright?"

The door opened and Kevin backed into the room. He turned as he closed the door. The turtle in his chair didn't register as he scanned the room but a quick double take had him scared out of his wits at seeing someone else in his office. He let out a short squeak of surprise and feel back against the closed door.

"Nice space dude. A little on the uptight side but nice."

"Michaelangelo!" Kevin hissed. "Must you scare me like that every time?" He didn't even wait for an answer as he continued with his questioning. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought we agreed on you coming over after I was done with work."

"Well yeah but I figured we could do some stuff now too. You do get a lunch break don't you?"

"It's so I can eat. Besides what can I ," Kevin stopped midsentence as there was a knock at the door and it cracked open. He broke out in a cold sweat as Mike searched wildly for a place to hide.

"Dr. Broody?"

Joelyn, Kevin's secretary, poked her head through the half open door.

"Um… yes? What what is it ah Joelyn?"

Joelyn could see Kevin was sweating like a hog and his face was beat red. Concerned, she stepped into the office, opening the door the rest of the way.

"Are you alright Kevin? You look terrible!"

"Yes," Kevin's voice cracked slightly. He yanked at his tie, loosening it's choke hold around his neck. If Joelyn turned and looked up she would see a mutant turtle balanced between the top of the open door and the ceiling. "I'm fine." He gulped.

Joelyn rushed to his side and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Don't kid yourself Kevin. You look like your about to keel over!"

"I'm fine Joe. Ah, what did you want?"

"Your one o'clock appointment just canceled. I was going to tell you not to hurry with lunch but maybe you should just take a nap instead."

Kevin watched as Mike hopped from his perch and slipped out the door.

"I'm fine. Thank you Joelyn."

Joe nodded in acceptance and turned to leave the office. Kevin sat holding his breath, half expecting a scream to ricochet around the building. He sighed after a few moments of silence but that comfort was short lived. A tap on the window caused his breath to catch in his throat. He turned in his chair wide eyed, to see a grinning turtle tapping at his window.

He unlocked the window and stepped back so Mike could get in.

"Dude you need to get a bigger window." Mike complained as he slipped through the cellar style window. "My shell almost doesn't fit through."

"Do you have to scare me every time you came around?"

"Hey I tried." He protested. "I broke and entered and I knocked. Face it dude. You're just a scaredy pants."

"Mikey you almost got caught! I have a right to be scared."

"Aw I was fine Kev." Mike patted his back and sat on his desk. "Although you could use a few more hiding places in here, a huge chandelier, a couch or something. Anyways Dude, it looks like you've got enough time to show me some things after all!"

Kevin put a hand to his head. How did his life ever get like this?

"Alright." He said after a minutes. "Let me eat a quick lunch then I'll show you a few things."

"t's alright. Take your time." Mike hopped from the desk top to the top of the filing cabinets. "I'll wait."

Kevin only nodded. He knew for a fact that Mikey would wait. He would wait forever, just not silently. In a record time of ten minutes Kevin's lunch was down his throat and digesting in his stomach.

"Alright Mike." Kevin sat back in his chair as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "What kind of stuff do you want to learn?"

"I donno what kind of stuff is there to learn?"

"Well what is Raph having trouble with now?"

"Well he flipped out just before I left the Lair cuz he didn't catch the remote when I tossed it to him." Mike offered.

Kevin chuckled in return. "That's a bit hard to start with. Even listening for sounds bouncing off still objects is hard. Catching projectiles for a normal human would be nearly impossible. What else?"

"He over filled his cup at dinner last night, got pretty mad about that." Mike tried again.

"That I can fix." Kevin grabbed a glass from his desk. "Just put a finger inside like this. When the liquid you're pouring hits your finger you know it's full."

Mike thought long and hard, trying to come up with things that Raph had or was going to be having trouble with.

"Telling time. I heard him up the last two nights in a row moving about for a few hours. I don't think he knows what time it is."

"Another fairly simple one. I'll be right back." Kevin jumped out of his chair, which Mikey quickly took and rushed out of the room.

He came back holding a stack of magazines.

"These are catalogs for buying things for blind people. There's something in one of these that should help Raph providing he does learn Braille."

He flipped through each of the catalogs until he found the item he was looking for.

"Here," he said as he pushed the book towards Mikey. "It's a Braille wristwatch. There's a cover that protects the raised dots from wear. It's pretty expensive but it's worth every cent."

Mike's eyes traveled down towards the price of the watch.

"Sixty bucks." He whispered.

That was a lot of money for his family, but he would earn the money for it some how. If Raph needed it he would get it.

"Can you order it? I'll have the money by the time it gets here."

Mike pushed the magazine back towards him and Kevin nodded that he could get it.

"So what else do you wish to know of Mighty One?" Kevin joshed as he began to relax some more.

For the next hour and a half Kevin taught and Mikey listened. At the end of their time Joelyn paged 'Dr. Broody' on the intercom to inform him that his next appointment was here.

Mike let himself out the window and told Kevin he would be back later that night. As he walked home he wondered how exactly he was going to come up with sixty bucks. He had twenty now and that was hard earned. He vowed to himself that somehow he would come up with the extra forty.

Mikey entered the lair to find a quite unusual sight. Fighting quietly just outside the door leading to his lab were Don and Leo.

"You're just going to make him mad." Leo whispered harshly.

"Well he needs to learn how to use it sometime." Don answered back.

"He's having a hard enough time without you adding to it."

"Oh so like your lecture was just a pep talk gone wrong?" Don's voice became angrier as he spoke.

Mikey jumped up beside them and put on a huge disarming smile.

"Hey guys! What's up!"

The only answer he received was both turtles giving each other the death glare.

After a few seconds of silence Don decided to change the subject.

"You missed lunch Mikey."

"Yeah," Mike scratched his head wondering just exactly what he had missed.

"I was talking with Kevin. I'll get somethin later."

Mikey's face brightened up as he suddenly remembered something.

"Hey guys, how much money do you have?"

Don shrugged.

"None."

"I think I have ten. Why?"

"Cool I need it."

"What for?" By this time Leo had his hands where his hips should be.

"I just do." Mikey paused. "It's for Raph."

Leo nodded and went to his room to fetch the money.

"Don't go blowing it on pizza or something ." Leo told him as he handed it over.

Mikey gave him a pat on the shell and a few 'thanks' and an 'I owe you one bro' before he ran off to his room.

"Touch and die Mike." Raph growled as Mikey reached for the crutches laying by Raph's side.

"Michaelangelo!" Splinter's voice was hard.

Mikey skipped back to where the other two turtles were practicing with their Sensei."

"Leave Raphael be." He called as Mikey raced back to his spot.

Raph growled softly from where he sat on the floor out of the way, one leg tucked underneath him and the other straight out. It was his first day of having to meditate for four hours straight and it was just killing him listening to his brothers practice without him.

He gotten even less sleep than night before, It wasn't helping his healing any yet he couldn't seem to get any catnaps during the day. The nightmare he had from a few nights before was still bugging him to no end as it lingered in the back of his mind.

"Hey guys! Oh I'll wait." April's voice erupted through the lair. She seemed to stop short when she noticed the guys were still practicing. She wondered out of the dojo slowly looking for something to occupy her time with while the boys finished up.

An hour later they emerged from the dojo to see April crying over some early morning soap opera on the couch.

"Oh!" Mikey screamed. "This is the one where Melony figures out her baby isn't going to live! I love this one!" He hopped over the couch and landed right next to April. Tears were streaming down his face before long as the TV show unfolded. Meanwhile April wiped the tears from her eyes and stood. She sighed.

"It really is a sad episode. I've seen it before though."

The three remaining turtles gave her blank stares while Mikey could be heard bawling the background.

"Well. The painters are gone as of last night and my apartment is finished. Who wants to come see it?"

The first to respond was Mike. He turned and kneeled on the couch with a huge grin on his face completely conflicting with the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I wanna go! I wanna go!" He cheered.

He was racing towards the elevator before anyone could stop him.

"So Dr. Daddy Don, am I allowed to go too?" Raph asked in Don's general direction.

"Only if you're a good hatchling and eat all your vegetables." Don called back as he headed off after Mikey.

Leo put a hand on Raph's shoulder to help guide him as he joined with the joking too.

"Yeah and if your not good Daddy Don is going to turn the Battle Shell right back around and head straight home."

Raph attempted a roll of his eyes accompanied by a smirk.

Ten minutes later they were all at April's doorstep.

"Alright guys, You ready?" She held her back against the door with her hand poised just above the knob and a grin from ear to ear.

Three of the four turtles gave a single nod while the last stood jerking his head up and down like a bobble head doll. Don slipped his hand under Mikey's chin on one of the up motions causing Mike's jaw to come crashing together with his upper teeth. Mikey yelped and licked his teeth in an attempt to stop the vibrations traveling through them.

The dumb side of Raph was slightly disappointed when he walked into the room. An array of color didn't fill his vision. He let out a silent sigh and hoped that at least one of his brothers would start talking to April about the room.

"It's exactly the same." Leo stated.

"I know!" April was the only one still smiling. "I still had the old blue prints and the old foundation was still good so I decided to rebuild exactly the way it was. That's why it got done so fast."

It comforted Raph slightly to know that he wouldn't be stumbling around April's new apartment trying to get a feel for it. Mikey didn't share the feeling though. His voice was chalk full of puppy dog sadness.

"No new things? At all? With all that money?"

"Well," April started. "I did add some more things upstairs, just to make it a little comfier."

Mike raced up the stairs. April giggle and counted down to herself.

"Three, two, one."

A thrilled screamed ripped down the stairs.

"It's so cool!"

April smiled even bigger if that was at all possible and motioned for the others to head up stairs.

They found Mikey fawning over a large screen TV complete with all the available accessories. He turned it on and his excitement grew.

"Woah! Surround sound…. And HD!"

He went rooting through the cupboards to find a whole new collection of DVD'S and CD'S.

"I'm in heaven!" He cried.

Cobart slouched in a chair in front of Oroku Saki, cleaning his gun.

"These things take time."

"I don't have time." Saki growled. "I want them gone."

His menacing voice didn't even cause Cobart to look up from his work. He slipped the bolt out and wiped it down with the rag in his hand.

"If you don't take your time," he said pausing for effect. "rash decisions will be made. Once we have them they'll be trapped with no way out."

"You're too sure of yourself Cobart."

"And you're really dumb Saki."

Saki's eyes flared with anger as he shot to his feet.

"How dare you! I should have your tongue cut out right here!"

Cobart just laughed at Saki's loss of temper. His deep throated chuckle sounded more like a fat man choking on his own phlegm. It made Saki's jaw clench and a low growl escaped the depths of his own throat.

"You're just too slow to understand Saki. You've had what you needed this whole time but because of your impatience you couldn't figure out how to use what you were given. Now I'm going to treat you like a little baby and make you wait."

"No one makes me do anything!"

He was now screaming.

"Oh but I am going to make you wait Saki. You hired me to get this job done and if I say wait you wait."

"Your arrogance will be the end of you!"

Cobart chuckled again as he set aside his gun.

"Oh so very dumb."

It was almost more than Saki could take when an old women shuffled in. She rushed over to Cobart and whispered in his ear. He cracked a smile, revealing his chipped and discolored teeth. An uncaring flip of his hand gave her permission to leave. Cobart picked up his gun once again. He slowly put it back together with practiced ease. He glanced up as if just remembering Saki was there.

"I told you Saki, good things come to those who wait. My informants just came in with some surprising new information."

"Why do you use the old as informants Cobart? They're slow and feeble."

"Yes but they're also invisible. No one thinks anything of an old lady passing by slower than the average pedestrian. No one bothers to stop their conversation when an elderly man with a hearing aid approaches, but enough of them. Do you want to hear what they had to tell me?"

Saki sat behind his table again with a sigh.

"Fine then. Tell me Cobart tell me what they said."

"The turtles. The red one to be exact. Got into a round of fights over the last two weeks."

Cobart pulled the magazine out of his military rifle and continued with his cleaning as if he was finished speaking. It was Saki's turn to chuckle.

"That is nothing new Cobart. The turtles have fought as many battles as dinners you have eaten in your life time."

"Oh but it is new." He popped the clip back into the military rifle and shouldered it, standing to leave. "You see, he's blind." Cobart gave one last grin before taking two giant backwards steps then turning and strutting out of the room.

Saki sat there for a moment, alone in his chambers. Then the laughter set in. It started out soft and low, easily mistaken for a bout of coughs, then grew to a feverous pitch, making anyone within ear shot's blood freeze in their veins.


	7. Is it really that hard to be blind?

Disclaimer: Be it resolved that we the penniless believe that we own nothing in this chapter or any others and should not be indited. (We are now onto debates in English. One week and I'm already sick of it.)

A/N So I guess you guys are getting an early chapter! I have a busy week and I didn't think I'd have a chance to update between now and Saturday so you guys are getting this one today. Some of you had questions about what Leo and Don were fighting about in the last chapter. This chapter will explain it more but if you still don't understand I'll have a note at the end of the chapter explaining it..

ShikamaruChick- What are they going to do to Raph? Kill him. Oh wait I didn't say that! Well they'll try at least cuz that's what you hire mercenaries for right? Thanks for the review!

Isis-Lament- Oh complements being thrown right and left! Thank you! (runs around and gathers up all the complements) That scene with Cobart was the first scene I wrote with him. It was intended as a filler but developed into something more. As for the remote control scene, I thought Raph needed to let off a little steam. What till you see this chapter! Thanks for the review!

pacphys- Mike has this thing about him that he'll do the exact opposite of what you want him to, even if it means waiting… then he'll make you pay for having him wait. Broody you mean? I have a knack for the odd names. He was originally Dr. Folgers or something but it got change to Broody. Cobart was originally Cobalt but I changed that too. I'll explain at the end of the chapter what Leo and Don were fighting about. Ah yes Dr. Daddy Don. I was in one of those zippy hyper moods when I wrote that. I'm not sure if I told you before but I got the cool devil-may-care attitude of Cobart's from the book the Bourne Identity. There's a baddie in there that is just pure evil! Thanks for the review!

Chibi Rose Angel- (does a little dance and hugs Chibi Rose) Dude1 You just solved my writer's block! Thank you thank you thank you! Oh your wish shall be granted! Yippie! Writer's block solved! Hehe thank ya for the review and the complements.

Lunar-ninja- Your broadsword? Oh dear! But Cobart has a military M-16 sniper rifle. As you will see later on Cobart comes well armored. I also added a scene later on down the road with Cobart to make you hate him a little less… then you'll go back to hating him just as much in a space of about a chapter. Thanks for the review!

LenniluvsBrian- Yes Raph was doing a bit of day dreaming. He figures that it won't make a difference though if he's mediating for four hours a day. Thanks bunches for the review!

* * *

Raph headed towards the telltale sounds of Mikey's high pitched giggling.

"What chya watching?" He asked as he entered the living room.

"Lion King." He answered back trough a mouthful of popcorn.

Raph searched for the couch but before he made it there his shin bumped hard into the coffee table.

Raph hadn't thought that he missed the couch but apparently he had. He backed up and felt around with one of his crutches until he found a seat.

"_Let's hop our way over to the birdy boiler."_

"_Oh no! Not the birdy boiler!"_

Raph laughed with Mike as he imagined Zazu go shooting off into the hills. He had seen the movie enough times as a child to know which scene was which just by listening.

Mike continued to giggle with the hyenas.

"You know Mike I think you act quite a bit like that one hyena, the stupid one. Aw what's his name? Ed! You act a lot like Ed."

Mikey frowned. "Really?" I think I act more like Simba!" He puffed out his plastron and made a pitiful attempt at a lion's roar.

"You would Mike."  
"You know I think Mufasa is a little like Splinter."

"Nah," Raph answered back. "Leo makes a much better Mufasa. Splinter's that crazy monkey. The nutty one, Rafiki."

"Master Splinter's off the wall sometimes, but come on! Rafiki?"

"Hey! The baboon knows ninjitsu!"

Master Splinter wondered out of his room to investigate the fuss.

"What is going on?" He asked.

Mikey pointed two fingers at Raph.

"Raph's calling you a baboon!"

"Did not!" Raph shouted.

"Did to!" Mikey giggled. "You said 'the baboon knows ninjitsu.'"

"Why you," Raph picked up one of his crutches and swung in the general direction of where Mikey's voice was coming. The first shot was a complete miss but the second caught him right in the plastron.

He was aiming for another blow when Don came up and grabbed both crutches.

"Hey!" Raph shouted indignantly to the unseen thief. "Give those back. I'm a cripple. I need um."

"Not anymore you don't." Don called as he made his way back to his lab to put the crutches back in the cupboard. "I saw you walking on it yesterday. Sides a week of not using it, it should be fairly well healed by now."

"Still Don how do you expect me to get around?"

Don came back with one of his old boes in his hand.

"Here," he handed it to Raph. "I rewrapped the middle with red. Later when you get up off your lazy tail. I'll show you how to use it.

"Cool. Thanks Don." Raph immediately continued with his Mikey beating.

"Ow!" Mike dropped his bowl of popcorn and swatted back at the offending bo.

Splinter shook his head and retreated back to his room.

'Kids.'

Meanwhile Leo emerged from his own room upstairs.

"Hey guys. What's up?"

"Daddy Don took away my crutches." Raph grumbled as he put his new bo on the floor next to his chair.

Leo cocked an eyebrow at Don, completely missed by Raph. Don shrugged in return.

"Raph and I are deciding whose who in the Lion King. You're Mufasa!" He said, doing an impression of the hyena trying to sound scary.

"Who are you?" Leo asked as he took a seat on the couch.

"Simba."

"Ed." Raph retorted.

Just then Rafiki, the baboon, went into a nutty craze and fought a whole hyena pack single handedly.

"Splinter is Rafiki."

On the TV screen Rafiki punched a hyena about to jump him from behind in the face without even turning around.

"You know, I kind of recall Sensei doing that move at one time or another." Leo chuckled.

"So who are Raph and I?" Don asked.

"Well," Mikey thought about it. "Raph is definitely Kovu."

"Ko who?" Raph scratched his head.

"Kovo, he's in the second movie."

"Mike, I never saw the second movie. Be time it came out I was like eight and well into playing with GI Joes."

Mikey's eyes grew big.

"You didn't see it? After this one's over you gotta see it."

He went off somewhere to search for the tape as the end of the movie played out.

"Should I really stay or should I run away?" Raph asked.

"Stay." Don answered. "It's actually pretty good."

"It's cute really. Mikey and Raph getting in touch with their inner children."

"On no Leo. This isn't as bad as this morning. I found Mikey watching his sing along with Barney tapes."

"Yeah and after that he watched Aladdin, Snow White, and then Bambi. The worst thought HAD to be when he pulled out the Carebears. Remind me to fine those tapes one of thes days and burn them."

"How'd you know they were Carebears?"

Don gave Leo a hard glare for treading on soft ground but the question really didn't sink in for Raph.

"Those high pitched voices of 'I think you need a friend'?"

Raph made his voice go high in an imitation of the cuddly bears which seemed to save Leo from more death glares from Don.

"Hey! The Carebears weren't that bad!"

Raph rolled his eyes.

"This coming from 'My Pretty Pony boy?" Leo laughed.

"Yeah Don do you still have those little ponies around somewhere?"

"No." Don grumped. "You destroyed them remember? You just kind of took markers and colored them all camo."

"Did you really expect pink and purple ponies to blend in with the surrounding woods? They needed to be stealthy or else they would have gotten my GI Joes killed."

Mikey came racing back down the stairs with a classic Disney tape case in his hand.

"Found it!"

He popped the finished tape out of the VCR and stuck the new one in.

"You guys are gonna love this!"

He fast forwarded through the previews, and hummed along with the opening song only to be elbowed in the side by Leo.

Raph started to snicker at the part where Kovu became an outcast. He could practically feel his brothers stares directed at him.

"What?" He exclaimed. "It's funny!"

"Raph how can becoming a reject be remotely funny?"

"Don you gotta remember, all I can hear is that music. For all I know they could be killing him and I'd be missing it."

"They can't kill him. It's a G-rated movie." Leo stated.

"Can too. They killed Barney when his show went off the air."

"Mikey they didn't kill him, they threw his butt in jail for drugs."

"Barney was a druggie?"

"You bet," Don continued. "Gave reptiles a bad rap."

Mikey whined. "Guys! You just trashed the image of my favorite childhood character in a matter of seconds."

"The dinosaur wasn't on drugs Mike, it was the guy that played him."  
"Still, It's not right!"

"Sure it's not right. It's why they threw his butt in jail!"

"So," Leo diverted their attention to a different subject. "Who is Don in this movie."

"Leo," Mike turned his head towards his brother. "There's no techno geeks in the Lion King." He stated matter of factly.

"There has to be someone."

"I think he acts like Simba." Leo got to his feet and headed towards the kitchen for a drink.

"But I'm Simba!" Mikey protested.

Raph picked up his new bo and gave Mike another whack.

"Nah, your Ed."

"Ed's a bad guy though."

"Then how about Timone?"

Mikey was silent as he considered Don's suggestion.

"Timone's cool."

He turned his attention back to the TV to see the big fight scene.

"Hey Leo! Get back in here! It's the big fight scene."

Ten minutes later the credits started to play.

"Isn't it great?"

"It's alright." Leo commented.

"Raph heaved himself up from his chair. "I'd take blood and gore movies over that any day though." He stood there for a second before sitting back in his chair again. "I can't go anywhere." He muttered. "Don took my crutches."

Don uttered one word that seemed to give Raphael mobility again.

"Bo."

Raph got up again using his bo as a cane. Every few steps he'd stop and sweep in front of him to keep from falling over anything. Don made a move to follow him but Leo stopped him. He pulled him aside.

"Are you sure he's ready for this Don? It's been what, a week?"

"Well he was walking a bit without his crutches yesterday and he has to learn to use it sooner or later."

"If he figures out you all but handed him a white cane he's going to flip a lid."

"Well whether he likes it or not he's going to need it. Right now he just thinks it's a cane to help him walk with his bummed leg."

Leo gave Don a hard stare meaning that Raph wasn't that dumb.

"Trust me Leo. He's already using it to keep him from bumping into things. If I give him a few pointers along the way it will work. He'll use it less as a walking stick as his limp dissipates and more as a white cane. When he figures it out hopefully he'll realize just how much he really needs it."

Leo just rolled his eyes and smiled a stressed out smile.

"This better work Don, and if it doesn't get ready to run and hide because Raph will be after you."

Don smiled back and gave Leo a pat on the shell. "If this doesn't work there won't be many places to hide from Raph."

* * *

Mikey came racing into Raph's room.

"I've got it! I've got it!" he yelled as he pranced about waving a piece of paper. Raph jumped a bit on his bed, where he was trying to learn his Braille again, at the sound of his door banging open.

"Got what?" he asked as he sat up.

"I think I just created out theme song!"

"You still goin on about that?" He laughed.

Mike shield his paper protectively as if Raph's words were going to hurt it.

"Well if that's the way you feel then I'll just leave and you won't get to hear it!"

"Alright alright" Raph tried to calm him. "Let's hear it." He sat back, shell against the wall.

Mike unfolded the paper ad cleared his throat.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Hero's in a half shell!

Turtle power!"

He was forced to stop by Raph's uproarious laughter.

"What's hero's in a half shell even supposed to mean?" Raph asked between guffaws.

"It's talking about our shells."

"Mike, our shells are already half, he explained. If we really had half shells we would look awful weird."

"That's it!" Mikey stood and made for the door. "You don't get to hear any more!"

"Aw come on Mike! It's not like I've got anyone else to read it to."

Mike glanced over his shoulder to find a cruel smirk on Raph's face but decided to show him the rest anyway.

"Raphael is cool but rude

Michealangelo's the party dude!"

He started into the chorus again and Raph tried hard to keep his laughter down.

"And when the evil Shredder attacks!

The turtles, fight back!"

"So remind me again Mike, who would want to listen to this?"

"Only every child in the world with an imagination." He answered.

"Yeah," Raph nodded, "sure."

Mikey put his hands where his hips should be and scowled.

"I'm going to go create my action figure!"

He left the room with Raph's laughter closely following him. Mikey wondered towards Leo's room to find him putting on his topside cloths.

"Where ya goin bro?" He asked as he poked his head around the half closed door.

"Topside to call on a favor. It shouldn't take long." He pulled an old dirty hoodie over his shell. "I'll be home before dark."

He grabbed his sunglasses and moved past Mike and out the door.

* * *

Raph sat up and searched for his bo as Don called that lunch was ready. His hand groped slowly along the floor where he thought he had laid it but his hand didn't touch anything resembling a bo. He growled softly as he continued to search, under the bed and farther away, yet it still managed to allude him. Finally he slid off his bed and onto his knees, much to the protest of most of his wounds. Don chose that moment to enter his room.

"Hey bro what's takin you so long?"

Raph made a move to sit back on his heals but quickly decided not to when a sharp pain ran up his injured leg.

"Can't find my bo."

Don moved farther into the room and quickly found the item. He handed it to Raph who snatched it from him. He pulled himself off the floor with the help of the staff and made his way out of his room.

"You know Raph," Don started as Raph swept carelessly in front of him with his bo. "If you sweep a little more past your shoulders you won't run into anything."

Raph continued the same way as before.

"Raph, the website says,"

Raph stopped short and Don's blood ran cold.

"Now it's official." He growled. "I really am a cripple."

"Raph your not a…"

But Raph continued to rant.

"Yes I am Don! If the Lair got attacked right now I wouldn't be able to do shit to help! I would sit there and twiddle my thumbs and listen to you all get killed."

Don stayed silent, but Raph continued as if he had asked a question.

"It's what the bo is for isn't it? So I don't run into things. I can't even go topside anymore Don! If someone saw me I wouldn't even know! I get to go feeling and tapping my way around like a blind person!"

Mike chose that very moment to enter the room. Failing to see the sense the tense situation he decided to speak his mind.

"You are a blind person Raph."

He let out another aggravated growl and limped towards the door.

"Raph wait!" Don called as Raph stomped away.

Raph whirled around, his face taking on a shade of red from his anger.

"I'm not waiting! I'm leaving and no one had better follow me!"

He turned and stalked out the door leaving Don and Mike dumbfounded.

Don slumped to the floor, head in hands.

"I blew it. I rushed it and I blew it, again."

"Aw Donny it's just Raph being Raph. He'll be back. Don't worry." He gave Don a pat on the shell. "Come eat."

* * *

"Hey guys I'm home!" Leo called as he entered the Lair.

Don met him at the door a worried expression quite evident on his face.

"Sorry I took so long. I forgot that kids go to school." He began to take off his topside cloths when he noticed Don's worry. "What's wrong?"

Raph found out that I was trying to teach him how to use a white cane a little sooner than I expected. He flipped out and stormed off."

How long ago?" Now Leo was rushing to get his topside cloths off. He switched his katana sheaths from his belt where they rested against his thighs to his back again.

"A little over two hours."

"What? Why didn't you go after him?" his voice was becoming stressed and reprimanding.

Don shrugged.

"I didn't think he'd get lost in the sewers, and… he told me not to." Leo rolled his eyes. "Leo he was really mad. Considering everything that has happened to him lately I didn't think getting into a fist fight with him would be such a good idea. I only really started to worry a little while ago."

"Go get Mike. I'm going to go search for him." He grabbed his mask from his belt and retied it around his face. "Oh Raph, for your sake I hope you didn't get lost." He whispered to himself on the way out of the Lair.

* * *

"He's not anywhere!" Mikey exclaimed.

He had just come in from another search empty handed. It was getting to be nightfall and Raph was no where to be found. The three of them had searched for hours. Even Master Splinter had joined with the hunt only to return fruitless.

"I tried his shell cell. It led me straight to his room." Don held up Raph's shell cell.

Mikey slipped into the kitchen and filled a glass of water. He drank from it greedily before giving his report.

"I checked all the tunnels leading east about ten minutes up the farthest one. He wasn't in any of them."

Don sighed.

"I really hope he didn't go topside."

"Do not fear Donatello." Splinter sat meditating in his chair. "I do not feel him topside. His spirit is calm."

This didn't ease Don's worries any.

"Great now I'm gonna worry that he's dead!"

Splinter chuckled softly.

"He is alright though I dearly wish to find him. Go now. It is your turn."

"Leo's still out searching the west tunnels." Mikey told Don as he prepared to leave.

"I'll pick up where you left off then." He checked his watch. "I'll check in three hours tops."

* * *

Leo wondered down tunnel after tunnel. He felt like he should be going faster than a walk but he didn't want to miss anything that might be in the side tunnels. He thought about calling for Raph but didn't for fear of being heard topside.

Raph was such a hothead. He should have known he would get lost. Leo would never forgive himself if Raph was lying hurt somewhere because he wasn't there to follow him when he stormed off.

He had been out for close to three hours and still nothing. Once again he found his mind wondering the different ways Raph could be hurt. He ducked his head and closed his eyes, trying to force the ideas away. When he looked up again the first thing he noticed was a foreign object at the end of the tunnel. As he walked closer it quickly became apparent that the object was Raph. He sped up to him and called his name softly."

"Raphael!"

Raph jerked his head up but put it back on his knees as soon as he recognized the voice.

"Great I get to get fetched home by Splinter Jr." It was obvious he was still angry but had mellowed out some in the last few hours.

"Mind telling me why you stormed off like that?"

"I donno Leo, I thought sitting in the scumy dirty sewers would be awful relaxing."

Leo helped Raph to his feet, noting that the wound on his leg had reopened and was seeping blood again.

"Well," he started but Raph interrupted him.

"Don't say anything Leo, just shut up and help me home."

Leo nodded silently and put a hand on his brothers shoulder to help guide him home. He felt a pang in his heart for his sibling, going through so much hurt. They were both dead silent the whole way home. The only sound made was the scrapping sound of Raph's bo as it made it's way along the floor and his slightly labored breathing he tried hard to mask.

As they entered the Lair, Mikey was first at their side. His worried expression changed to one of relief upon seeing Raph at Leo's side. Raph obviously didn't share the feeling though. He shook Mikey off when he tried to hug him and headed straight for him room. The hurt expression quickly returned to Mike's face.

"Go get Don, tell him Raph's leg needs stitched up again."

Mikey nodded and headed for Don's room.

"Hey Donny?" He knocked softly on the door and cracked it open before remembering that Don was still out searching. Pulling his shell cell from his belt he quickly dialed Don's number.

"Hey Don, we found Raph, but he needs his stitches redone."

"Why can't one of you guys do it? I'm like an hour from home."

"Well Raph's on the war path and judging by body language I don't think he'll let any of us near him. You're like our peacemaker!"

He could hear Don sigh and his feet slapping the ground softly , a clear sign he was now running.

"Alright let's see if I can turn an hour walk into a twenty minute run."

"Thanks Don I appreciate it."

He shut down his shell cell and went to find Leo. He found him pacing silently in front of Raph's door, putting his ear to the door every so often to check up on his brother. He looked to Mike who mouthed the words 'on his way twenty minutes." Leo nodded and continued his pacing.

In his room Raph screwed his eyes shut and opened them again. Still nothing.

How could he be so dumb? He got lost in the sewers, his home. His leg throbbed and he could feel blood trickling slowly down his calf but it didn't matter, nothing mattered. Throwing the stick Don had given him across the room he felt slightly satisfied when it crashed into something. He tripped and bumped his way over to his old worn out punching bag. Master Splinter had given it to him when they found a new one for the dojo. He had said all the slashes in it were from him so it was his.

Now Raph attacked it with a vengeance. His injured arm was the first to make contact and he felt it, but it didn't matter anymore. The rage built up inside him with every strike. With a yell he reached for his sais to pierce the bag but found the slots in his belt empty.

They were somewhere in his room . He hadn't picked them up since he got hurt. He was a cripple. Why would he need them? The absence of his weapons only caused him to work harder at getting the sand out of the bag with his bear knuckles. Nothing mattered anymore.

On the other side of the door Leo cringed. He paused in his pacing and thought about going in to try and calm Raph down but decided against it. Going in would just make him even more mad. A physical fight with Raph wouldn't be a good idea right now.

Don appeared beside him, a little out of breath with a first aid kit in his hand.

"Give me a second." He whispered as he leaned against the doorframe, trying to catch his breath. After a moment he grabbed hold of the door knob and slipped into Raph's room. He found Raph punching his bag rhythmically, something he shouldn't really be doing for at least two more weeks with his wounded arm.

"You popped some of your stitches." His voice was soft non intrusive, a voice used on a frightened stray puppy.

"So,"

"They need restitched."

"Tough."

"You're getting your floor all bloody." He tried again.

"Doesn't matter." Raph continued to pound on the bag.

"Raphael!" The door slammed open. Leo stood in it's place. With the authority dripping from him he could have very well passed for Master Splinter. "Let Don fix you up or we're all going to hold you down until you cool it."

Raph laid off his punching bag and glared in the direction of his door. He was almost right on, slightly to the left. He flexed his wounded arm.

Leo noticed and nodded to Don who approached Raph.

"Sit," Leo ordered.

He could hear Raph grinding his teeth from where he stood but his brother relented and sat on his dirty blood covered floor.

Don grabbed hold of Raph's arm first and began working on it. He heard Raph suck in a sharp breath of air when he tried to clean it out with peroxide but other than that and the grinding of his teeth he stayed completely silent.

Leo winced every time he watched Don's needle puncture Raph's skin but Raph never made a noise. Finally after it was clear that Raph wasn't going to flip again he left to go talk to Master Splinter.

Before he could even knock on the door Splinter called upon him to enter. Leo slid the door open and found his Sensei kneeling on a cushion taking his evening tea rather late at night. He beckoned Leo, who kneeled down opposite his father.

"What troubles you my son?"

Leo let out a dry laugh.

"You sound like some sort of god when you say that."

Splinter cocked an eye brow and Leo quickly ducked his head, realizing exactly what he had just said.

"Is this about Raphael?"

Leo nodded.

"He can't even start a fight with me anymore."

Splinter only nodded his head slowly while Leo continued to yammer.

"I mean he can, he was, just not physically. I think he's afraid that if he tries to hit me and misses that he'll make a fool of himself. So now he's hurting himself instead.

Splinter's jaw clenched. His expression was stone but slight body language were all signs of what he was feeling.

"When I found him he had popped a lot of the stitches in his leg. When he got to his room he continued to pop stitches in his arm by going at it with his punching bag before he was ready. At this rate he'll never get better Master Splinter."

"Give him time Leonardo. Raphael has been wounded deeply and only time and love can heal that wound. Do you wish to meditate with me on this matter?"

Leo rose from his kneel with a shake of his head.

"No thanks Sensei. I think I'm going to go workout instead."

"Very well. Do not worry too much Leonardo. He will be just fine."

Leo nodded and bowed deeply before leaving his Sensei's quarters. He headed straight for the dojo and the mook yan jong. Over the past week he had worked almost every day with it. He wasn't getting any better though . Every time he would go to strike for a split second all he would feel was air before he either moved his hand up and striked a passing spoke or an on coming spoke cracked him in the hand. By now the time he spent with the wooden dummy was mostly for working out his frustration. It didn't help much though. His failure only caused him to become more angry and work even harder if that was at all possible. By the time he was done he didn't have the energy to be mad anymore.

Yet once again he found himself in front of that stupid dummy, adjusting his mask into a blindfold.

He started out as always with a few slower kicks and punches to get the wheels turning before he tried some easier blocks. He suddenly felt his attitude bolster and he tried to kick at one of the hand spokes. He quickly paid for it when the up coming spoke cracked against the arch of his foot. He cursed as held his foot but continued his onslaught. As long as he continued to strike instead of block he managed to keep him appendages from being hit, but that wasn't the proper use of this piece of equipment so as soon as the stinging in his foot died away he tried another strike.

Crack!

Leo bit his lip and messaged his arm.

"Uh Leo?" Leo turned and removed his blindfold to find Mikey wondering into the dojo. "What exactly are you doing?"

"I'm… nothing."

Mike joined him next to the mook yan jong.

"It's just…" He tried to explain again. "Nothing"

"It's about Raph."

Leo looked up at his younger brother from where he had slumped onto the floor.

"You're working out with a blindfold on right after having a fight with Raph. Come on bro, even I'm not that dumb."

"I've been workin with this all week Mike and I still can't block it the way I should.  
Mike helped Leo to his feet and led him over to the weapons cabinet.

"I never liked that thing anyway." He threw Leo a Bo staff and pulled one out for himself. "En guarde!" Mike called as he got down into a defensive stance. Leo grinned and turned his mask around."

"I get it."

"What good is fighting blind if your opponent can't rattle you around in your shell a bit?"

Mike shared the customary bow with his brother before leaping at him with a cry. His downward strike was blocked by Leo's bo."

"I can sense you!" Leo called out happily his mood changed completely.

"See why the wooden dummy sucks shell? And it never laughs at your jokes either."

Mike leapt at his brother again.

By the time they were done they had turned the lights out in the dojo. Mikey was also wearing a blindfold, and they were stalking each other like leopards on a hunt.

"So," Leo asked as he turned on the lights and Mike threw him his bo staff to put in the cupboard. "Why the extra help?"

"What? I can't help my big brother out in a time of need?"

Leo cocked an eyebrow and gave an all knowing yeah-right-maybe-in-the-next-millennium grin.

"Alright, so I went to see Kevin a few days ago. He gave me some tips to help Raph out. He showed me this catalog with this Braille watch in it. I told him to order it for me. It's sixty, I have twenty, thirty with the ten that you gave me."

Leo sighed. Mike was always spending money he didn't have but never forty bucks worth.

"And you want me to…"

"Help me earn the rest of the money."

"How?"

"Well we could always slip into a side show at a circus and earn a few hours wage."

"Mikey." Leo warned.

"Or help me hit Don up for cash."

"He told you the other night that he didn't have any."

"Oh but with his brain and my creativity we could make a fortune!"

"And once again you need me for…?"

"Back up when he tells me no."

"Mike he's not going to tell you no."

"You just watch."

Mike and Leo strolled out of the dojo together. Mike did a quick once over of the Lair and found Don just coming out of Raph's room. He bounded up the stairs and dragged Don into his bedroom, closing the door almost before Leo had the chance to slip in.

"You want to what?" Don all but screamed when Mikey explained his plan Mikey's reply was a grin and a shrug of his shoulders.

"Dare I remind you what happened the last time, no the last TWO times you touched my stuff? Do the words Battle Shell wrecking the Lair and computer biting the dust ring any bells?"

Aw come on you know those were both accidents!"

"Doesn't matter!"

"Donatello," Leo cut in. "Could you just do it for Raph?"

Don sighed and rubbed at his eyes.

"Three things. I'll make them and give them to April to sell at ten bucks each. Then nothing else after that alright?"

"Great! Thanks bro!" Mike opened the door to his room and headed for Don's but Don grabbed him by the shell and held him back.

"Oh no! I'll work on them and have them done by tomorrow, but you're not setting foot in my room!"

Even a pouty puppy face wasn't enough to get Donny to change his mind, so Mike resorted to retiring to his own room. Leo went his own way shaking his head. They could be so childish sometimes.

* * *

A/N- Ok Leo and Don were fighting about something called a white cane. Blind people use it to get around independently. It's normally made of aluminum and is what four and a half, five feet long? Don't hold me to that BubblyShell22. Blind people tap it from side to side a bit past their shoulders on each side to keep from walking into things. That's why it's made of aluminum, so it's lighter. They normally fold up and can be discreetly hidden away in a purse or back pocket. Raph is going to have to use one of Don's old bo's though. I've tried it before and a Bo is a bit long and heavy for the purpose but it gets the job done. Plus it can double as a weapon! Thank you all for reading and please please please review! 


	8. A little lower

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Lunar Ninja: I saw The Lion King again awhile back and that whole Rafiki part totally made me think of Splinter! You didn't think so? As for Raph and Kovu… well… um… they're both rebels… and Mike said it not me! (hides behind Mikey) Barney does give reptiles a bad name! I had to show Raph was still a bit Raphy and that was the best way I could think of doing so. And about Mike singing the real TMNT song?… He's going to create the TMNT in one of my later stories. Mike's just being Mike. Thanks for reviewing!

Pacphys- I'm surprised about the feedback on who everyone thought was who in the Lion King TMNT mix I had going on. Poor Mike needs to be beat on once in awhile. I never even thought of Zazu and Leo though now that you mention it seems pretty good! Who says Raph didn't like the Carebears and is just denying it now? Donny seems like a my little pony fan to me. That came from another one of my stories where the guys are making fun of him for it. Yes at this point every little thing is going to set Raph off because he's so sensitive. Leo's really trying to hide his true feelings around Raph. He's worried to death about him but won't show it to Raph because he knows Raph doesn't want to be treated like a baby. For some reason though instead of just being Leo he really seems to be hard on Raph. Thanks bunches for the review!

Chibi Rose Angel: Two people already said Leo should have been Zazu… I never even thought of that! I love taking walks down memory lane. Some days I break out the old baby movies like Mikey did and sit in front of the tube and watch them. I'm glad I brought out the kid in you… that's always a good thing. Blind people being more lethal than us is a common misconception though… when they go blind they are pretty much starting from day zero again. They have to relearn everything and it's not easy. All the martial arts stuff they have blind people doing is for the movies. I'm not saying that they're aren't people out there that can do that but not all of them can. The fifth sense if smell though LOL you're not looney just a little bit slow to the draw today. Thanks for the review!

Fireandsun: Everyonce inawhile I'll close my eyes and walk around my house just for the heck of it. Using my other senses in place of my sight is a challenge.Thanks for the review!

* * *

Leo almost couldn't wait till noon. He knew the half hour he was forced to still wait would seem like an eternity. He kept on replaying the look that would be on Raph's face when he got Leo's surprise. And he only had to wait another half hour. To help pass the time he decided to go check up on Raph. He hadn't come out of his room all day. When Splinter went to get him for morning practice or in Raph's case, meditation, all Raph did was sit there. Despite Splinter's coaxing he wouldn't say a word or venture out from his room.

Leo cracked the door and peered into the darkness that was Raph's room. He could just make out his brother's figure from the light in the Lair. He was sitting up in his bed with his arms folded over his plastron staring at absolutely nothing.

"Hey." Leo called softly as he stepped into the room. "How's it going?"

"I thought about suicide." Raph's voice was dreamy like he was still in deep thought.

Leo felt his heart jump into his throat.

"I even got into the medicine cabinet."

Leo's jaw clenched and his eyes widened. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all, but he couldn't say anything.

"But I couldn't tell which bottle was which. For all I knew I could have ended up downing a dozen vitamins."

This didn't make Leo feel any better. He felt fear for his brother and what he was going through. He didn't want to say anything to him. He wanted to go to his room and cry or something for the sake of his brother. He even started to turn away when he noticed something. Raph's bandanna was darker in color around the eye slits. Even in the darkness he noticed the red cloth was more of a chrism and he realized he wasn't the only one who felt like crying. He wasn't going through this, Raph was and he needed more comfort than Leo did right now. Wasn't it just a few seconds ago that his brother was speaking of suicide? Leo wanted to turn tail and run away but forced himself to step even farther into the room which seemed to be looking and feeling more and more like a black hole.

"Raph," he started.

"I'm scared Leo. When was the last time I was scared?" his voice cracked and shook a little.

Leo was about to answer, but Raph continued.

"For shell's sake I got lost in the sewers." He shook his head. "My own home. I can't stand up straight or take a step without losing my balance." His voice cracked again which seemed to cut him off and shut him up. He sniffed and wiped a hand across his face.

Leo could only think to say what Master Splinter had already told him.

"Just give it time bro." He was about to stop there but he sensed it wasn't enough. A sudden idea struck him and he began to talk again. "You know I'm still scared of heights. It doesn't normally bother me but every once in awhile I'll look down before I make a jump and feel that old fear come back, and I wonder if I'll make it across. Sometimes when I'm on the rooftops by myself and that fear hits me, I have to stop and take a fire escape down and back up, but when I'm with you guys and it hits me I force myself to keep going because I know I'll be wasting time. It took me years to even get that far. The fear is still there but I learned to live with it. You will too. Just give it time."

"It's all the same Leo. Day and night it all looks the same. It's enough to drive me nuts. I can't sleep anymore. Even when I can get some sleep it's normally nightmares, either that or when I wake up I realize I really am blind and that fact is always fun to be reminded of."

Raph could feel his sour mood coming back. All morning he had been pretty mellow. His leg and arm were both throbbing and Don had put him back on the crutches. He had said the wounds were healing well but he wanted them to heal some more before he let him off the crutches again, especially now that they busted open again. Getting lost was bad but not being able to let out his rage only added fuel to the fire.

Leo checked his watch and found that it was almost time.

"Come on. I have something that will cheer you up."

When Raph made no move to get up Leo grabbed his arm and gave a small pull, telling him he wouldn't take no for an answer. So Raph found his crutches and let Leo guide him out of his room. They had just gotten to the door when Raph heard a faintly familiar voice ring through the Lair.

"Hello anybody home?"

"Tyler?"

He turned in Leo's direction.

"You wouldn't believe how hard that kid is to find. When I finally did get a lock on him I went to his housed only to find out he was at school, so I had to wait three hours until he came home to ask him to come down today. I thought you'd like to see him again."

It must have been just then that Tyler noticed Leo and Raph on the second level because he yelled Raph's name and he could be heard scrambling up the fire escape stairs. He grabbed hold of Raph's good leg in a huge bear hug, almost causing Raph to topple over. He chuckled for the first time in two days as he patted Tyler on the head.

"Hey kid, long time no see."

"I thought I'd never see you again but yesterday your brother came to my bedroom window and said I could come and see you if I wanted. Mike came to get me get me today to show me the way. I can't believe you really live in the sewer! What happened?" he asked Raph, referring to Raph's crutches as they slowly descended the stairs with Leo on their tails.

"I uh… kinda got in a fight."

"Were they big guys?" Tyler asked still skipping all around.

"Yeah," Raph chuckled again. "Yeah they were pretty big."

Raph found the couch and eased onto it, putting his leg up on the coffee table.

"So how've you been kid?"

"Oh alright I guess. Mom is going to court soon to put those bad guys in jail." He punched his fists in the airs and whirled around. "I got an A on my report card and my goldfish died. Mom said she'd get me another one though. My teacher doesn't like me very much anymore after I accidentally dropped a worm into her coffee cup. You know Mike is really cool. He had to blindfold me but he carried me here on his shoulders and told me all these stories…" He trailed off suddenly and sucked a huge breath of air like he was out of breath and didn't have anything else to say. "So what's going on with you?"

"Besides that fight? Nothing much."

"Oh Raph!" Tyler reached into his pocket and pulled out a pog. "I got this from mom. She said she used to collect them when she was a kid and she let me have this one. Isn't it cool?" He moved the round piece of plastic so the holographic dragon on it flashed in the light.

"What is it?"

"Mom says it's called a pog. There's a ton of different ones and there are some that are more heavy that you use to play a game with but the game isn't that fun. I like the pictures. Isn't this one the coolest?" He moved it so the dragon scales flashed again.

Raph was silent for a moment before he made his decision.

"I can't see it Tyler. I'm blind."

"What?" Tyler put the pog, back in his pocket. "You mean you never got better?"

"No, I did, for awhile. When I got in that fight about a week ago, the one where I got shot, I got hit on the head too. I went blind again. This time permanently."

"Oh," Tyler ducked his head. "Well we can still have fun together right?"

"Sure we can." He ruffled Tyler's hair again. "Remember how we beat those goons up together?"

"Do I?" He ducked out from under Raph's hand and threw a few punches at an imaginary opponent. "Man those guys were as good as toast. You and me beat their butts!"

Raph chuckled. "Yeah, we did."

* * *

"Skateboard at twelve o'clock Raph!" Tyler called as they headed into the kitchen.

"Tyler's more help than any of you guys." Raph joked as he found his seat.

Mike dished out his own concoction which only slightly resembled grilled cheese.

"Mike," Don picked up his sandwich and watched as a glob of chunky orange goo plopped onto his plate. He stuck out his tongue. "What is this?"

"It's my version of a reuban." He answered proudly as he sat down in his seat. "We didn't have any roast beef and I don't like sauerkraut, so I made it with Thousand Island dressing, ham, and cheese from the tacos we had the other night caused it to be kinda drippy but trust me it's good!"

"It's burnt!" Leo turned his sandwich over to see mostly black burnt bread.

"Just try it." Mike commanded. Raph and Tyler were the first to put their lives in their hands by taking a bite. Raph nodded his head in approval and Tyler grinned. This seemed to give Don and Leo the courage to try it.

"'t's good." Leo commented. "But it'd be better if the bread wasn't burnt to a crisp."

"Sourpuss." Mikey pouted.

Splinter came in and sat at the table. He took one look at the burnt sandwiches oozing orange globby goo and reached for the fruit basket. He selected an apple and bit in.

"Leonardo, I trust you will be taking our guest home after lunch? I do not wish for his mother to worry."

"I'll take him." Donny butted in. "I need to make a stop at the dump any way and scrounge up a few circuit boards."

"I think I'll tag along too. This Lair is getting way too stuffy for me."

Raph didn't want to admit that he wanted to make sure he could still navigate through the sewers fairly well when he wasn't raging mad.

Leo stopped eating mid chew.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Raph? I mean with your stitches."

"Aw they're fine. I'll stop and turn around if they start buggin me. So can I come or what Daddy Don?"

Raph stressed the last two words. Don could only shake his head in amusement.

"Well considering you haven't been up and about for almost a week you might as well come along and stretch your legs."

* * *

"I'm not going to use your idiotic bimbo's. They'll botch the whole mission." Cobart paced angrily in front of Saki. The Shredder smiled slightly to himself. It was good to see Cobart's temper flare for once.

"Well you can't use your army of old useless grandparents."

"They could fight better than your brain dead tune deaf children." He stopped his pacing. "Give me money and I'll hire mercenaries, ruthless blood thirsty bastards that would kill their own mothers given the chance." Saki was silent, deep in thought. "Give them to me or I'll drop the job right now and leave."

"You are too selfish to do that. You wouldn't leave the money."

"Oh to make you mad I would."

"You may have half a dozen mercenaries, the rest will be my Foot soldiers, but if you fail you will pay your debt with your flesh."

Cobart grinned.

"I don't intend on failing."

* * *

"So why'd you need to go to the dump Don?" Raph's crutches clicked as they met the sewer floor making a din in the silent sewers.

"I needed some circuit boards. I'm working on a new project for Mikey." He quickly changed the subject, not being a very good liar. "So Tyler's pretty nice."

"Yeah. He's a pretty good kid. Bounces of the walls though."

"Yeah." Don agreed with a slight guffaw.

All was silent for the next few minutes as they walked along with only Raph's crutches and dripping pipes as background noise.

"Raph," Don began slowly and hesitated. "What's it like, to be blind?" He flinched a bit as if preparing for a physical blow.

"I thought it'd be like having the lights off. You know when the light filters through he door from another room. It's what it was like before. I could see shadows a bit, but this time it's just pitch black. The darkness seems to move and grow. I never knew how much that little bit of light was worth."

Then he was silent. Don was slightly relived that he hadn't got mad. He couldn't think of a response and Raph didn't seem too eager to strike up another conversation. Silence reigned the whole way home.

* * *

Back in the Lair Leo bit his lip as his shin slammed into something else in his path. He thought about lifting his blindfold to see what it was, but he told himself he wouldn't this time because Raph couldn't.

"My son," Splinter emerged from his room with his cane. "You have been acting odd of late. May I ask what is troubling you?"

Leo took off his blindfold and sat next to Master Splinter's chair.

"I'm trying to get a feel for what Raph is going through. You know, so I can help him. I decided to try and walk around the Lair with a bo to see what it was going to be like for him, but I had to wait until he was gone. I don't think he would take too kindly to me bumbling around the Lair. He'd think I was mocking him. Mikey tried to help me yesterday. We were sparring and it WAS easier, trying to fight something alive, but most of the things Raph is going to have to face aren't going to be alive. I…." Leo faltered in his rambling for a second then continued more slowly. "Raph told me this morning that he thought about offing himself."

"Offing himself? I'm afraid I don't understand." Splinter cocked his head to the side.

"Yeah, suicide. I wasn't sure if he was joking or not but I don't think he was. He doesn't feel useful anymore Sensei."

Splinter nodded. "I will see what I can do, but this is not your problem Leonardo." He laid a paw on his son's shoulder. "Raphael can sense your worry and it does nothing to calm him. He wants things to be the way they once were. Maybe if you act like it is he will adjust better."

Leo nodded and stood just as Raph and Don came walking back through the door.

* * *

"Raphael!" Raph was jarred from his sleep by Splinter's sharp curt don't-mess-with-me voice centimeters from his ear. He sat bolt up right.

"What! What is it?"

Splinter took a step back.

"You are late for practice."

Raph fell back into bed and rolled on his side.

"I don't go to practice any more Sensei." His voice was muffled by his blankets.

"Raphael!" Splinter barked again. "You will get up out of bed and attend practice."

Raph sighed as he sat up again tiredly and searched the floor for his crutches.

"Donatello removed them from your room. You no longer need them"

Raph untangled himself from his covers and stumbled around his still wrecked room looking for the bo he had thrown two days before.

"Master Splinter," he sighed. "Can you help me find my bo?"

"You must find it yourself Raphael, and you will join us in the dojo when you do."

Raph growled softly. Ten minutes later he came limping into the dojo. He headed towards the meditation area but another sharp bark from Splinter caused him to stop.

"Raphael I said you would join US in practice."

Mikey shared a glance with Don who cocked his head at Leo who could only shrug.

Raph carefully made his way over and took his place next to Mike. He made a move to put his bo down but once again Splinter stopped him.

"Keep it."

He motioned for Mike and Leo to go get staffs from the weapons cabinet.

"Now," Splinter instructed. "Put your blindfolds on."

Three of the four obeyed without question.

"Raphael!"

Raph clenched a fist as he heard his name being yelled once again.

"Hai Sensei?"

"Put your blindfold on."

"Sensei, what difference does it make? It's not like I'm going to peek or anything."

"If your eyes are blindfolded you will not try to use them . Now put your blindfold on."

He led them through kata after kata, blindfolded, for three hours. The sounds of kee ya! echoed throughout the Lair. Finally for the last hour Splinter ordered Raphael to go meditate while the other three spared with their bos.

After the light workout Raph had found it easier to meditate. He was sure Master Splinter had taken it easy on all of them for Raph's sake but for some reason Raph didn't really care. His leg and arm actually felt a lot better after being worked, but he knew later on in the day his leg would be aching.

"My sons," Splinter spoke after he called a stop to the sparring. "We have an hour until Ms. O'Neil gets here."

"An hour for what?" Mikey couldn't help but ask.

"An hour to pack up."

Once again the bothers shared an odd look. Raph stopped his meditating to listen in.

"Pack up for what Sensei?"

"We are going to stay at Mr. Jones'" before the word 'farmhouse' could leave Splinter's mouth Mikey was whooping away.

"Alright!" He yelled as he raced for the door before remembering they were still technically in practice and racing back to his place in line.

"I called her last night. She said she and Mr. Jones would come up for the first few days but then they would have to get back to refurnishing her shop. Now go pack. Dismissed."

He bowed and the four turtles bowed back before rushing off to their separate rooms, Raph a little slower than the rest.

Splinter silently followed his son to his room and watched as he packed for the trip.

Raph managed to find his extra masks and joint pads fairly easy. On his way to find topside cloths he kicked something on the floor. Crouching down he down he found the offending object. His sai. He thought about taking them with him but put them back on his nightstand instead. He wouldn't need them and even if he did he wouldn't be able to use them . he found his topside cloths and stuffed them into his bag. He stopped for a second and thought about taking them back out. He wouldn't really need them either. Would he? He kept them though. It might get could up at the farmhouse and then he might need them.

The farmhouse. That was going to be a whole load of fun to navigate around. A fairly unfamiliar place for him at this stage was going to be a whole load of fun. Raph wondered briefly if maybe they were going up to the farmhouse for him. Master Splinter had had a get-up-off-your-lazy-shell attitude all this morning and it they went to the farmhouse he'd almost have to do that.

He searched the bathroom for his tooth brush and grabbed a few other necessities that he shoved all in his bag. He was about to zip it up when he remembered one other thing. Should he take it? Raph found the Braille book and chart by his bed. He held them for a second, debating. He might get bored so he threw them in his bag too.

He limped out of his room and laid his bag down next to the elevator.

"Hey Raph," Mike called as he too headed for the elevator doors. "Tell Leo I have a quick errand to run and I'll be back in like ten minutes."

Mikey put his biking jacket on and stepped through the elevator doors. He had to write a quick note to Kevin about where they'd be and give April the do dads Don created for her to sell.

He hopped on his bike and was at Kevin's place in a matter of minutes. He parked his bike in a side alley and entered through the window he had used a few days before. Kevin wasn't around seeing as it was Sunday and Mike recalled him saying something about going to visit his family in Michigan this weekend. He found a scrap piece of paper and quickly summarized everything that had happened in the last day and a half. He wrote that he wouldn't know when they'd be back but he'd have the money for the watch when they returned. He stuck the note on Kevin's chair and slipped back out the window. He made a quick trip to April's to drop off Don's inventions. He didn't even bother to tell her was there and gone as he figured she was probably packing. Then he was home again.

Despite the fact that he had only been gone a total of fifteen minutes the packing efforts had jumped tracks. Everyone had their personal things packed up and stacked near the elevator. Now they were working on getting food together. Leo was loading up a cooler and Don was putting canned food in boxes. Raph stood at the door and listened. Every once in awhile one of the two other turtles would jump up and yell out an item they had forgot to pack. Raph would limp into another room and search for the item until he found it, then set it next to the other things by the elevator.

Mike started loading things into the elevator to make trips up to the Battle Shell.

In no time at all, slightly less than forty minutes, all the packing was done and they were ready to go. Don went around turning off appliances and Mikey seemed to forget about a comic book in his room he needed to take. Leo went to go help Master Splinter finish his packing and Raph called that he'd be up in the warehouse waiting. He rode the elevator up and as the doors hissed open the smell of oil and gas immediately assaulted his senses. 'One of the best smells in the world' he thought. He limped out of the elevator and headed right for where he knew his shell cycle was. He ran his fingers over the seat and thought about how Don had made it specially for him. The other guys had bikes and really Raph had two but the shell cycle was his baby. It didn't even compare to his other bike. His hand moved it's way from the seat to the handles. Hung on the bar closest to him he found his helmet. Unlike the bike, this helmet wasn't the first. He remembered how Don had stopped putting in the built in shell cell. This helmet was his forth? Fifth? As he put it back on the bar he felt his spirits take a dip. He wouldn't be able to ever ride it again. Maybe he should just give it to Mike and be done with it. No, he thought. Mike would ruin it, and even if he could never ride it again maybe he could figure out how to tune it up once in awhile. It wouldn't be that hard. He knew that bike like the back of his hand. He knew the whole garage pretty well in fact. Summer was when he and his brothers came up here to work the most. In a matter of a few more months it would have been summer and they would all spend their days in the garage working on projects of all kinds. Be it the Battle Shell or equipment for the dojo they always seemed to find something to do during those days in summer in the garage.

He jumped slightly as he heard the door to the garage open. He was about to try and run and hide when he heard Casey call his name. he breathed a sigh of relief and tried to slow his heart rate down.

"Hey Raph, you ready to go?" He asked as he entered the warehouse.

"Yup. The guys should be up in a sec. Why are we taking this trip anyways?"

"I donno" Casey answered with a shrug. "April just called me and said we were goin. I'm only staying for two days though."

As if on cue the elevator doors parted and there stood the rest of the family.

"Ready to go?" Leo asked as he loaded Splinter's things into the back of the Battle Shell.

Raph nodded. Leo handed Splinter the hoodie to his streets side cloths so he could ride with April and Casey in the car while the boys climbed into Don's rig, and before anything else could be remembered to bring they were off.

* * *

A/N This is kinda a deep chapter after the funny one. I guess that was backwards to have the comic relief before the dramatic scene but Raph has a little farther to fall before he his rock bottom. I better get to bed because I have Disricts for Track tomorrow and I promised my coach I would get a 12 min flat two mile. Thanks for reading and reviewing all! 


	9. Tough love

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

A/N: (PF races towards the computer) Oh dear guys! I'm sorry it too me so long to update! My computer is busted. My monitor finally kicked the dust (it was bad to begin with) and I have to get a new one but for the time being I have to use my mom's computer and I can only do that when my sister isn't home. (The computer's in her room) On top of that I'm sick (cough cough) For all of you who were wondering... no I didn't make a 12 flat at Districts last week but I did get seventh place!… I was expected to get 12th so I thought that was pretty darn good! Thanks for all the best wishes! Anyways on with the review returns!

Tbreader: It was a far cry to try and get my two my in 12 minutes but I tried. I nearly blew my chunks at the last two hundred mark and I almost medal-ed but alas I didn't. I figured it's time for Raph to get some tough love and Splinter is the first to dish it out. He's really gonna get it from the rest of them in this chapter though! Thanks for reviewing!

Isis-Lament: I seriously made your heart jump in your throat? (jumps around) Yippie! Sorry but I take it as a real compliment. That piece comes from all the talks my sisters and I have had. Now that we're older we really try to help each other with out problems. I thought it was time for Leo to ease up on Raph a bit. You have no idea how happy your compliment made me, about the whole understanding thing. I told my whole family about it and every thing. Thanks very much and thanks for reviewing.

Pacphys: (giggles) That sandwich that Mike made… I've made it before. I'm a horrible cook cuz I can't follow directions but I can make some great concoctions. I could only each about half of that one though… as for the do dads… I don't really know they're just things to earn money… probably like a card shuffler or something simple. I figured I had to stick something in there that Raph could never do again no matter how hard he tried. The Shell Cycle was it. Thanks for the good luck wishes and thanks for revewing!

LN: Who doesn't love Tyler? He's only the coolest kid on Earth! Lol I had to bring him back! My goldfish always ate each other.. so I got guppies.. my turtles ate those then they became incensed and mutated and grew just about as big as goldfish… needless to say I had to get rid of them. Lol we just finished our Track and Field unit in gym. I think I got 11 5' for long jump. Aw well… I dominate in the mile so I can't win everything. Thanks for the good lucks and for reviewing!

Chibi Rose Angel: Thanks for adding me to your Author Alert List! (giggles) Mikey is indeed Mikey. He just needs a few years to grow up more then he'll be alright…. We hope. Thanks for the good luck and for reviewing!

Two hours on the road and Raph discovered that, for the most part he liked riding in the Battle Shell more than he did before. No one could get up and do things and other than the occasional 'Would you take a look at that?' no sight was required.

Don and Leo had ganged up against Mike and a half hearted Raph so oldies rock was the music of choice. Before long the four of them were singing along with the radio. Raph and Mike were providing a drum beat with anything their hands touched. The radio blasted 'The Eye of the Tiger.' Mike was at the wheel and on the course he sped up slightly, by passing April's car. She laid on the horn and Mike slowed again.

"So does anybody know the reason for this trip?" Mike asked once April's bumper was in sight again.

"What's it matter?" Leo said from his seat behind Mike. "It's getting us to the farm for awhile. I'm not going to question it."

Truth be told Leo had questioned it. He figured it was for Raph. After his talk with Master Splinter the night before it only made sense. What was Sensei doing taking Raph to fairly unfamiliar location though? Leo decided just to trust his father but that didn't ease his confusion any.

For the remaining two hours of the trip the boys mostly sang songs that popped up on the radio. Mike steered away from 'I spy' so singing was about the only thing left.

By the time they got there the four turtles spilled out of the Battle Shell and made a mad rush for the bathroom with April yelling behind them that the water wasn't turned on yet. A series of questions then bombarded April 'Where was the fuse box and the water pump? Which switch was the master one? Where were the extra fuses?" April backed off and handed the reigns to Casey, it being his grandmother's house and all. It took another hour and a half before Casey and the boys figured out the simple task of turning the utilities on.

It was almost nightfall before they were all settled in. Splinter got the only ground level bedroom. Casey got the first room at the top of the stairs and April got the one farthest down the hall. The boys drew straws for who was bunking with who in the last two rooms. Leo was with Raph and Don with Mike. They set up the hammocks they had brought because three of the four beds had been moved for April, Casey and Splinter. Raph got the remaining bed which he wasn't exactly happy about considering he was used to sleeping in his hammock at home. He still had a bed but he liked the hammock more. For the past week he had had to sleep in his bed and it looked like even though they were on vacation he wouldn't escape bed rest.

That night he crawled into bed and settled in for a night of restlessness. He hadn't gotten a good sleep since the accident. He shared his goodnights with Leo as his brother turned off the light. Raph could hear him climb into his hammock and get situated. Ten minutes later Raph heard something he had never heard before, Leo's breathing. He wasn't snoring or even breathing deeply, it was just the simple in out in out light in take of air that was Leo's breathing pattern. He had never ever recalled hearing Leo breath. His brother was a light sleeper and even when they had all shared the same room Raph had never heard Leo breath. He didn't have much time to dwell on the fact though because the light systematic breathing calmed him like a baby being rocked and he was out like a light in no time at all.

All too soon Mikey came bursting into their room as their wake up call.

"The sun's not even up yet." Leo groaned yet he still got out of bed.

Raph was a little more persistent in his wish to keep sleeping.

Mike creped over to his bed and pulled back the covers, reveling Raph's feet. He gently tickled the foot of the uninjured leg and was rewarded with a sharp "stop it Mike," and a kick in the plastron that sent him on his butt.

"Shhh!" Mikey whispered into Raph's ear "April and Casey are sleeping!"

Raph was up by now and fumbling for his gear. He put it all on in the reverse order he had taken it off, kneepads, elbow pads, wrist wrappings, belt, mask, sais. He reached for his sais to stick in his belt before remembering he hadn't brought them. Going to regular practice must have made him forget he left them behind. He grabbed his bo instead. Walking out of the room right behind Leo, he almost tripped on the stairs. They met Don in the living room and preceded outside into the crisp morning air. The morning was still quite cool but the sun just rising over the horizon promised a warm spring day.

Once again Splinter led them through a series of fairly easy katas before he sent Raph to meditate and the rest to spar. Raph wondered how long it would go on like this. Raph was benefiting from all the easy katas but Don, Mike, and Leo were paying for it. Raph wished Splinter would just let him quit all together. There really was no point in him practicing any more. He was jarred out of his thought by Master Splinter dismissing them. Raph got up to follow his brothers but Master Splinter called him back.

"Raphael. I could not help but notice your lack of eagerness to practice. Why is this so?"

"Sensei, what's the use of me practicing if I'm never gonna use what I learn? Why can't I just quit?"

"You can not quit ninjitsu" Splinter remarked with a small laugh, but soon grew serious. "It's a part of you just as this blindness now is. You must learn to live with both in your life, in harmony."

Raph rolled his eyes.

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

Splinter was silent and after a few moments Raph suspected that he had just went back inside the house. A slight breeze was all he felt before the cane cracked down on his skull.

"Ow!" Raph yelped as he clutched his head. "What was that for?"

"I am teaching you how to use your blindness and your Ninjitsu in harmony.

Raph felt another tiny breeze on his face. This time he flinched. The small movement was enough to cause Master Splinter's cane to bounce harmlessly off his carapace edge near his shoulder.

"Good" Splinter said as he readied to strike again, this time for Raph's side.

Once again on the second strike Raph blocked him.

"What's the use Master Splinter?"

Splinter didn't say a word. He knocked Raph in the stomach, forcing the wind from his lungs.

"Focus Raphael."

For the next hour Master Splinter ran Raph ragged. When he was finally dismissed Raph was grumpier than ever. It was close to lunch and he had missed breakfast. He limped into the house, found something to sit on, and sat. he wasn't even sure which room he was in but he didn't really care at this point. He slouched as best he could in the hard back chair and laid his head back against the top.

"The dining room ain't exactly the social place of choice when there's no food on the table."

"Shut up Mikey." Raph growled as venomously as ever.

"You know Raph," Mike pulled up a seat and sat across the table from Raph, his features unusually dark. "Ever since you got hurt you've been in like a major 'Raph's bad mood' rut. Snap out of it already!"

Raph glared in Mike's direction.

"Shut it Mike." But Mike continued even more hotly than before.

"You've been lying around the Lair not even trying to do anything."

"Does it look like I can do anything Mike? I'm a cripple."

"Nobody thinks that but you Raph. Everybody's been trying to help you but you don't want to help yourself. You just want to sit around on your shell and whine."

"How am I supposed to do anything?" Raph's voice rose an octave.

"You try Raph. You try and if you fail you get up and try again. "

"You don't get it Mike."

"No, I think I do get it Raph. You know what? I give up with you. If your going to give up then I'm going to give up."

He stomped out of the room. Seconds later Raph heard a door slam shut.

Mike was wrong. He just didn't understand how hard it was. It wasn't as easy as it sounded. He was already trying to get back to normal, right? He held his head in his hands. When did his life turn upside down?

During lunch Mikey didn't say a word. He kept his head down and stared at his food.

"My sons. After lunch I wish to have another training session."

"But Master Splinter we just had one a few hours ago."

Raph seemed to be the only one to protest. Don and Leo pretended as if nothing was going on and Mikey gave a seminal smirk which was relatively scary considering his foul mood.

"Might be good for you Raph. Shell knows you need the practice."

Splinter shot him a look which immediately shut him up and changed his nasty mood to a shammed one.

"This extra practice session IS for you Raphael. After you are finished with your lunch I wish for all of you to meet me outside.

Splinter rose from his chair and shuffled out of the room without another word. Don, Leo, and Mike went back to eating their meal as if they were supposed to have practice in the middle of the day.

After washing their dishes they all congregated outside just as they had done that morning.

"So what's this all about?" Raph asked after they had done their warm up katas and had stretched out.

"Follow me my sons."

Raphael grunted at the comment but choose to keep his comments to himself. Leo's hand on his shoulder guided him to where he should be going. Splinter led them through the woods, with Raph tripping and stumbling the whole way. His bo didn't help him much when it came to the woods. A few branches slipped past Leo's guard and ended up slapping Raph in the face.

They hadn't walked far before Splinter stopped and turned around.

"Raphael, Michealangelo has informed me of your conversation this morning.

Raph opened his mouth to speak but Splinter continued.

"He is worried for you my son, worried that you are going to dwell in this hole you have dug yourself and accept it as your new life. Leonardo has also expressed his concerns for you and I have no doubt Donatello harbors the same emotions. I understand there are steps to accepting a life altering change. You have had your time to deny and grieve for your old life Raphael. Now it is time to accept and move on. We leave you now to do just that Raphael. You need to find your own way home."

"Master Splinter, I tried to do this before and I got lost, and that was in the sewers. Remember?"

The sound of birds chirping was all that answered him.

"Great, just great."

Raph did an about face and started back the way he had come.

"Alright," he muttered.

He took two steps and got a branch in the face, reeling back he tripped on a log and fell flat on his shell.

"Are you sure we should have left him Sensei?" I mean what if he gets hurt or… walks himself off a cliff or something?" Mike was regretting his harsh words to Raph earlier.

"He will be fine Michaelangelo. That is why Leonardo is watching over him. Raphael just needs to find his reason for learning new things again."

"But I mean, do you think it was the best to just stick him out in the woods and tell him to come on back home when he's ready? I don't really see him being happy with us when he gets back."

"I think this is just what he needed Michaelangelo. He needs to be challenged. He wants to know he is still useful and can do something productive."

"But when he gets home he's gonna be looking to kill someone." Mike continued.

"Look at it this way." Don decided to but it. "When Raph gets mad what does he do?"

"He storms out of the Lair and goes topside."

"Right and every once in awhile while he's out blowing off steam he'll have an epiphany and then he's in a great mood. We're just trying to make him have one of his epiphanies sooner so we don't have to put up with his bad attitude. Don't worry. Like Sensei said, he'll be fine."

Leo wanted so bad to call out to Raph and give him just a little hint. His brother had been walking just along the wood line for the last half hour. Now he was slowly walking a crooked line deeper into the woods. By now he had stopped running into so many trees and branches. He was using his bo more as a white cane and less as a walking stick. With the bo sliding back and forth before him and his injured left arm stretched out waving around in a semicircle about chest level. Every once in awhile he would move his hand up to check for on coming branches hanging over head.

He was surprised Raph hadn't heard him jumping from tree to tree. He sounded like a gigantic drunken squirrel.

He pushed off from the limb he was on and in an effort to avoid all the smaller branches in his way he missed landing on the limb. His hands shot up and he managed to grab it as he flew by. Once his position on the branch was secure he glanced down to check on his brother. A small stream was coming up. The trickle of water had worn away the soil, causing a bit of a ditch. It was small enough to be stepped over but Raph's would even know it was there. Leo dropped as silently as he could to the forest floor and moved closer to his brother just in case he needed him. It wouldn't due for Raph to take that big of a fall and mess up his leg again.

Raph had long ago stopped talking to himself. He realized he needed his attention to be focused on the task at hand. If he moved his bo opposite his left hand he managed to avoid most of the trees and branches in his way. More often than not his bo would slam into an object mid swing and he would have to tap and touch until he could get around it.

He still didn't understand why his family would do this to him. It seemed rather odd of them to just leave him, a blind turtle, in the middle of the woods.

He felt his anger bubble up slightly. They hadn't even been walking five minutes before they had left him. A half hour later and he was still wondering around trying to find his way home.

He moved his bo to the right again and instead of feeling it stop mid swing it dropped down. Only his instincts saved him from taking another fall. He froze with one foot in the air, poised over the sharp drop off. He poked around with his bo some more and found the trench ran the whole way to his right and left. He was about to step over it when inspiration struck him.

"I never crossed over this on the way here." He muttered.

He felt around for a tree and propped his back up against it for a bit of a break. This wasn't working. Tramping around with no direction what so ever was getting him nowhere.

"Maybe I should just give up and wait for someone to come searching for me." Even the thought made him angry.

But how was he going to get home without help?"

A loud cawing noise almost made him jump out of his skin.

'Just a bird.' He thought to himself.

He listened to it caw once again and noticed that all the other small song birds had stopped chirping.

"I'll be damned." His voice was now one of shock as more sudden realization struck. He recalled a movie he had seen once, where a man was tracking someone.

"The birds stopped chirping because of the disturbance and the house is one hell of a disturbance."

So all he had to do was find a place where the birds weren't chirping. He got to his feet and cracked his knuckles.

"Let's do this."

His progress was even slower now that he had to listen. He turned his back completely on the stream and walked in the direction he had thought he had just come from. He had barely gone ten steps when he heard a scuffling behind him. Forgetting about his disability, he instantly went into ninja mode and spun around, dropping into a crouch.

He listened as the movement stopped the second he went on alert. He listened hard and tried to sense some sort of movement. It was a stand off.

Up in the tree he had just climbed, Leo tried hard to keep his silence. He was proud of his brother for hearing him and watching him stop right before that stream was a miracle in itself. If he had to hang on much longer though he was sure he was going to fall. Raph had caught him in the act of moving from the trunk of the tree to a limb. He was hanging like a monkey with two hands and a foot wrapped around the large branch.

Leo tried to move his fingers to get a better grip but the bark disintegrated under his touch. As both his hands came free he only had enough time to swing his other leg over the branch and lock it in position. His shell slammed into the tree trunk though with the momentum of his fall. It clacked loudly. He still held his silence though. He hung there like an animal caught in a snare until Raph straightened up and moved on. He waited until Raph was completely out of sight before he even dared to move again.

He heard him mutter 'squirrels are getting bigger.' As he left.

Fifteen minutes later Raph realized that following the birds wasn't working. Anytime he made a noise they stopped chirping, but he was determine now to see this thing through.

He felt a cool breeze make it's way through the foliage to him. The wind was his savior last time. Maybe it could be again. If he was in an open field the wind would blow stronger there right? So all he had to do was walk in one direction until the wind blew again. If it was stronger than before he was headed in the right direction and if it was weaker he'd try a new one.

He still listened to the birds though despite the fact that they weren't helping any.

Another half hour went by and Raph finally felt like he was making progress. He was lucky that it was a particularly windy day.

He suddenly felt the ground change beneath his feet from leaves and ferns to grass. An enormous weight was lifted from him. The grass in the woods wasn't cut. He was close to the farm. He walked in the same direction he had been moving until he felt gravel under his feet.

Now was the hard part. Which way did he follow the road? One way would lead to the road and the other would to the house. The question was which way to go. If he remembered right they turned left from the house to get to the woods. So he would turn right to get back. He really didn't want his family to see him bumbling around like an idiot though. He straightened up and put his left hand down. He wouldn't need it anymore now that he didn't have to worry about over hanging branches. He used his bo alternately to sweep in front of him and to help with his leg. Ten minutes later he reached the end of the driveway though. He must been mixed up, so e turned around and started the other way up the long driveway.

Meanwhile Leo came zipping into the house and all but flew onto the couch next to Mikey.

"If Raph asks, I was here the whole time."

Mike took one look at his brother, all covered in scratches and out of breath. Dirt smudges were all over his face and across his shell.

"Leo I told you, if the trees don't want to play with you, you should just leave them alone."

Leo gave Mike a mock glare.

"You try going ninja in the woods. It's harder than you think!"

Mike gave Leo a pat on his shoulder.

"Sure bro, whatever, so Raph made it back?"

"He's on the driveway now. He headed the wrong way at first but he's almost done. He heard me in the woods though."

He recounted for Mike how Raph had heard him and he was forced to hang upside down by his feet until he moved on.

"I think I got another scratched on my shell from slamming into the tree."

Mikey laughed at his all too perfect brother and the image he created.

Leo just pretended he didn't hear him. He checked out his new scratches and decided to spit clean a few of them.

Just then they heard the screen door slam.

"I was here the whole time." Leo whispered to Mike as Raph entered the room.

"Hey Raphie!" have a nice… walk?" the words died on his lips as he became aware of the silly grin pasted on his Raph's face.

Raphael was proud of himself. He felt as if he had braved dangers and made it out alive, like he had accomplished a great feat and out smarted his blindness. In truth it was only a five minute walk turned into a two hour search but to him it felt like so much more.

"It was great Mike."

"Maybe we should leave him in the woods more often."

"Don't you dare." He warned. "It was tough enough the first time. Where's Master Splinter?"

"He's up stairs I think." Mike answered.

He watched as Raph headed in the general direction of the stairs. Immediately he noticed the difference in the way he walked. The cane swept out before him just as it had done before, but he was more confident now, not as confident as the sighted Raph, but he was getting there. Mike was about to call out to Raph that he was headed straight in to a table but Leo covered his mouth. Mike waited for the inevitable to happen as he struggled to slip Leo's grip. To his surprise Raph's bo struck the table leg and he froze, found the edge of the table, and walked around it.

"That's what he learned in the woods." Leo said as he removed his hand from Mikey's beak.

Raph grinned madly.

"You bet I did." He climbed the stairs slowly, being sure to give his injured leg extra room.

"And Leo… you make a better turtle than a squirrel."

Leo winced when he realized he had given himself away while Mikey sat back and grinned.

Raph stopped a the top of the stairs. How would he ever find which room Splinter was in? He went to the door of Casey's room and stood silently, relying on his hearing just as he had done in the woods. He tried to hear his Sensei's breathing just as he had heard Leo's last night. He leaned against the door frame and tried to silence his own breathing. No sounds admitted from the room so he moved to the next one, his and Leo's.

As he stood by that door he couldn't help but wonder what Splinter was doing up here. All that was up here were the four bedrooms and a closet.

Raph was slightly surprised when he heard sounds coming from Mike and Don's room across the hall. If he hadn't been listening he never would have heard the small scrapes of metal against metal, but who was it? He knew Mikey was down stairs but he didn't want to mistake Donny for Splinter. He listened even closer and could hear slightly raspy breathing. He thought it was Splinter but he wasn't quite sure.

"Hey." He learned against the doorframe.

"I see you made it back."

Master Splinter. Raph silently congratulated himself on guessing right.

"Yeah I did." The metal scratching noise continued. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Why don't you tell me my son?"

Raph frowned but furrowed his brow in concentration. What made that kind of scratching noise?

"Please don't tell me your tinkering with Don's toys."

Splinter chuckled.

"No. I am changing the light bulbs. Many of them were burnt out." Raph nodded. "So what did you learn from your venture in the woods?"

"That Leo never climbed trees as a kid."

"How did you get home?"

"I followed the wind," Raph didn't bother to go into detail. It sounded stupid.

"It is good that it only took you two hours."

"Why's that?" Raph asked. Thinking Splinter was going to compliment him on his navigating abilities.

"It means you can do it again before dinner."

Raph's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Master Splinter… you don't mean…"

"Yes I do. If you learned from your last walk than certainly this one will be shorter."

"Master Splinter that's insane! I just tramped…"

"Raphael!" Splinter barked.

"Hai Sensei?"

"You shall go down to the kitchen and get a drink, a canteen if you feel it is necessary. Then Donatello will take you back into the woods. Am I clear?"

"Hai Sensei." Raph ground out.

He really hated it when Splinter pulled the 'I'm the teacher and my orders must be followed' act. He bowed and found his way down stairs.

On the way to the kitchen he discovered a wall where he thought the kitchen door should be.

He really was going to hate being up here. He pawed and groped his way along the wall until he found the kitchen.

He entered and searched around for a cup. He decided to give up his search when he almost knocked over a whole stack of plates. Raph finally managed to get to the sink. Turning on the tap, he cupped his hands under the cool water and quenched his thirst. He wasn't even going to try looking for a canteen.

"Ready to go?" Don asked as he waltzed into the kitchen.

Raph turned towards the door and growled. He dearly wished he could glare at Don right now, but he couldn't so he settled for a dark frown.

He snatched his bo and stumbled out of the kitchen on tense muscles.

This was so stupid.

As he searched for the front door he felt Don lay a hand on his shoulder. Every ounce of his angry being told him to shrug it off and flip out of something but he gritted his teeth and bore it, knowing how much of a fool he would make of himself it he did. He could feel his blood boil and his face getting hot.

He totally forgot what he had taught himself as Don led him back into the woods. He tripped and stumbled along, each fall just fueling his anger. As he fell he would feel Don's hand slid off his shoulder and when he got up the very same hand would be replaced. Raph went flying over a log. Don went to help him up. Raph slapped his hand away. He got to his feet and threw his bo back on the ground.

"This is a bunch of bull shit!" He nearly screamed.

Don backed up slightly. He quickly recovered though.

"Find your own way home." He muttered as he hopped off into the trees.

Raph kicked the log he had just fallen over with his good leg and sat down on his rear.

"I know you're still here Don, watching over the cripple so he doesn't hurt himself."

He growled again but now that Don wasn't right next to him he was starting to cool down. He got up and searched for his bo, muttering many dark words the whole while. When he found it he hauled himself off his feet once again. Raph tried to save some dignity and walk without having his hand and bo out in front of him but almost immediately he ran into one of those small saplings the woods seemed to have so many of. Without even thinking he swung his bo at the offending tree and they met together with a resounding crack. The vibrations made his arms tingle and that seemed to bring him back to reality.

He wasn't going to get out of the woods like this. It wasn't time for one of his fits.

He felt like he should just be able to take this mask over his eyes off and then he'd be able to see again. He yearned to just see for a few seconds so he could let his fury out on something. Instead though he was forced to keep his anger in check. He closed his eyes and tried to slow his furious angry breaths. It wasn't like closing his eyes made a difference but after years of doing so to calm himself he found it a habit. He calmed himself and realized almost suddenly that once again he hadn't been paying attention to where they were going. His anger threatened to show once again and his muscles tensed. He forced himself to calm down and concentrate. The wind died down and he could no longer use it to guide him. He listened carefully. The birds had died down now that it was later in the day and all the animals seemed to be in hiding. He was stuck.

He choose a direction and stumbled along. It only took him a few seconds to realize he was going to have to swallow his pride and use his hands to keep from hitting anything, so with his hand and cane out before him he made his way in his direction of choice, knowing full well that he was probably just going to stumble around for hours.

Leo wondered into the barn to find Casey under an old pickup tinkering away.

"Hey," He called as he entered the dark dusty barn.

Casey tried to life his head to see who was talking but only manage to whack his head off the underbelly of the truck.

"Ow" He moaned as he slid out from under the truck, rubbing his sore face.

"What chya doing?" Leo asked.

"Pretending to fix this truck. Where's Raph when you need him? I haven't seen him all day."

"He's out in the woods finding his inner self, Master Splinter's orders."

Leo wondered over to where Casey had various tools pulled out and strewn about. "Need any help?"

"I could use any help I could get. Would you hand me that monkey wrench?" He rolled back under the truck.

"The what?" Leo picked up a random tool and held it up. "Is this it?"

Casey groaned as he saw the tool Leo was holding up. "Are you sure Raph can't help?"

That kid could get any vehicle to purr like a kitten, but put your trust in him to fix your toaster and you would most definitely be let down.

Leo held up another random tool. "How about this one?" Casey sighed.

"Raph is the only one with car knowledge isn't he?"

Back in the woods Raph was in much the same boat as Casey. He had come across that stinking ditch again, the only he knew he hadn't crossed while coming.

Raph crouched down but quickly sat when the stitches on his injured leg protested. They didn't hurt all the time now. It still throbbed but for the most part they were just itchy. Itchiness was good though, it meant only a few more days until Don would take the stitches out.

Back to reality though he realized that once again he was stuck. He had been trying to follow the wind the whole time yet he still ended up here.

Should he follow the ditch and hope it led him somewhere or should he try a different direction?

"Yeah like I'm going to really get anywhere by chasing my tail in circles." He mumbled to himself quietly.

He got up faced the trench which way? Right or left? He thought about it for a long time. If he went left he thought it would lead him towards the house, or it could lead him deeper into the woods. He wasn't quite sure.

Right. He'd go right. Right was always good.

He put his bo tip in the ditch and ran it along the side, trying to get a feel for how it turned. He gingerly stepped forwards and was on his way once again.

By now he really looked like a bumbling idiot. He stepped as if he was walking on eggshells. His left arm was stretched before him protecting him from low hanging branches and his bo alternated between sweeping in front of him, dipping into the ditch to make sure he was on the right path and helping his throbbing right leg along. The process was slow, even slower than his pace before if that was at all possible. He wasn't even sure if he was getting anywhere, but it wasn't like he could stop and say he gave up, and sitting on his shell wasn't going to help any so he might as well try and make it home.

If he concentrated hard he could hear Don move around every once in awhile. Tree branches would rustle and he would hear a few twigs crack every now and then but he wasn't nearly as bad as Leo. What was up with Leo anyway? Sure it was hard to move through the woods with ninja stealth but Leo was making mistakes right and left. Raph couldn't help but to wonder if maybe Leo really was still scared of heights and a little of that fear was showing through. Don was definitely better than Leo when it came to ninja stealth in the woods.

Raph felt the terrain change beneath his feet. For a split second he thought that maybe he had made it back to the farm but his relief immediately turned into dejection when he realized that the pebbles that made up this road weren't as nice to walk on as the ones that made up the driveway. They weren't packed in solid from frequent use.

His heart jumped at the sudden realization that he might be in someone else driveway, but Don would have stopped him if that was the case.

If he followed the road he would make it to the farm sooner or later. The question once again was which way?

He tuned up his ears again and tried to be more aware of his surrounding, almost in ninja mode but not quite.

Behind him he could hear Don's slow easy breathing just barely over the birds chirping and the general sounds of the woods. The late midday sun beat down on him, presently warming his skin. It was early spring and the sun's warmth was welcomed by him after the long winter. He could smell some sort of decomposing wood or something. A smell only a country dweller could describe as the smell of spring.

It caused him to wrinkle his face up slightly. It didn't smell like spring to him. It smelt like the dirt in the flower section of Home Depot.

What could he use to help him on his way back to the farm? He heard the little wood animals and Don, he felt the sun and he smelt Home Depot dirt.

The sun! Wasn't that how all those soldiers and Indians and people lost in the woods found their way home? Ok so it was two o'clock when he left and he was probably wondering around the woods for two hours or so. At noon the sun was smake dab in the middle of the sky and it rose in the west meaning it set in the east, or wait was It that it rose in the east and set in the west?

"Okay," he told himself as he sat in a bunch of ferns on the edge of the road. "Let's figure this out. In all those western movies they have the cowboy riding off into the setting sun. now which way is that? When an animal dies it tries to face the east for the setting sun, or is that the west?" He groaned and put a hand to his face. "This isn't helping any. Which way does the sun set?"

"Erhm, west, erhmhem." Don coughed out from behind him. He didn't really see the harm n telling Raph information he should already know.

"I knew that." Raph called as he got up. "So that means I should have the sun at my back right?" Don didn't answer. "I take that as a yes." Raph stepped out onto the road and began his way down the road.

It was only a few minutes before Don spoke up again.

"Um… Raph, you mind getting out of the middle of the road? You're making my stress levels go off the charts.

"Why? It's easy walking." Raph waked with his bo out before him and his injured arm at his side. He found himself not needing it once again, being in an open clearing.

"In case a care come. I really don't want to do CPR on a human shocked into death by your ugly mug."

Raph chuckled at the image.

"It's a country road Don. Some redneck would think I was some bear with algae and a back problem. They'd shoot me and take me home to feed to their kids no questions asked.

"Nah you look more like a naked green man with a back problem. That's all Mikey's been talking about all day. He wants t get out and find the green man and her kids."

Raph groaned.

"I can see it now."

It took Raph a few second to realize that a new sound was assaulting his senses, the sound of unsettled pebbles crunching into place by a heavy weight and the sound of a motor. Without even thinking he dove for the brush.

Don was about to question his actions when he too heard the car approaching. He melted into the shadows the trees created and hoped that Raph was well hidden. There was no time to check and Don could only hope that his brother had found adequate cover.

Raph lay as flat as he could on his stomach behind the brush he had dived behind. It was a dangerous move, jumping head first into the unknown but he wouldn't think about that until the danger had passed. He quickly removed his bandanna and tucked it underneath him. He put his bo at his side farthest from the road and slowed his breathing. He didn't think the cover he had was very good but it would have to do.

As the car drew closer Raph concentrated on trying to make himself invisible. He held his breath as it passed by and willed it not to slow down. Thankfully it did yet he still lay prone on the ground until he couldn't hear the engine anymore. Don gave an all clear and heaved himself off the forest floor, dusting off his mask and placing it back over his eyes.

"See why I didn't want you walking on the road?"

"Yeah" Raph found his bo and headed straight for the dirt road.

He chuckled as Don gave a long exasperated sigh from behind him.


	10. Pool

A/N: So summer has started and I've abandoned my computer. I thought I should be a good author though and get a review up for you guys before I left for law enforcement camp. (A.KA. boot camp but it's boot camp by choice!) Oh and just so everyone knows I changed the farmhouse a little bit… the road isn't a black topped double yellow lined road… it's dirt… the black top just didn't jiv with me so It's dirt now.

Tbreader-You're partially blind? Sorry it's no business of mine but I didn't know so many people were reading this story with this problem so close to home…. It just makes your comments all the more meaningful to me! Unfortunately we won't be getting to see Raph become proficient in his cane use during this story (well in the epilogue maybe) but that is definitely something to put in the sequel. Thanks for reviewing!

Chibi Rose Angel- Lots of people seem to like Raph Don interactions… personally I like Mike Raph convos more but I think that is because it reminds me of my sister and me. I felt that Mike needed to show his true feelings in there somewhere… he just hasn't had a huge part in the story and I thought he needed to show how he thought Raph was acting. And Donny got to show his brilliance. Yes indeed the sun sets in the west! Thanks for the review!

Isis-Lament- Thank for the advice offer… I'll be sure to put it to good use some day! Trust me I love people to go to for advice. And just for the record yes Raph is back on his feet and he know longer wants to commit suicide…. That was a one time thing. As for foreshadowing… once again Raph is on his feet again… but just cuz he's on his feet doesn't mean I can't bop him around a bit! (Grins) Thanks for reviewing!

Lunar-Ninja- Bit, kicked… what's the difference?... I'm a runner… I don't bite! I kick! Lol thanks for the correction though!(poats) what you don't like Raph walking in the middle of the road? Well he thought it was a pretty good idea! Thanks for reviewing!

Pacphys- You bet Raph knows! He may be blind but he's not dumb…after all he's still ninja! I loved writing Leo's entrance… I had to rough up Fearless a little bit! My friend and I have an on going joke. He's from the city and he's forced to live in the country. Of course I'm a hard core redneck. I tease him none stop about being a city boy and sleeping in to late and he teases me about hunting deer at the crack of dawn with a rifle. So needless to say I had to add that Home Depot comment in there for him. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Three turtles entered the house just as supper was behind called.

Splinter did a quick head count as they all sat down at the table. He was please to see that Raphael had made it back for dinner.

"Where is Michaelangelo?" He inquired as he took his seat.

"Setting Kaylie traps." Mikey answered proudly as he made his way into the kitchen to wash his hands at the seat.

"What traps?"

"Kaylie traps. It's what I named the green woman. I want her to know I'm back."

"So you're going to try to catch her? That's real smart." Don commented as he took his share of chicken and passed it on.

"No I'm not gonna catch her."

"Then why the traps? Leo poured himself a glass of juice.

"I already said, so she knows I'm back. I left piles of pistachios all through the woods leading straight up to the back door."

"Great so now in the middle of the night we're all going to be eaten by Mike's new pet."

"I named the little ones Tabba and Cokey and the daddy, wherever he is, is named Bob."

"We're all doomed." Raph joked.

"How was your time in the woods Raphael?" Splinter asked, desperate to avoid a fight.

"Fine," Raph answered.

"Then you won't mind doing it again?"

"I don't think I really have a choice." Raph stated calmly despite the perturbed expression on his face.

Splinter gave a nod of approval which was lost on Raphael.

"Speaking of leaving." April spoke as she took her place at the table. "Casey and I have to leave tomorrow. I got a call from the guy that I'm renting my basement apartment to. He needs to move in tomorrow and I haven't given him the keys yet."

"So soon?" Leo asked.

"Yeah the lease for his other place is up and I promised him. I just plumb old forgot about it yesterday. If you guys are still up here I'll be back up next weekend though."

Raph reached for his glass but missed by a few centimeters, effectively knocking it over and wetting his lap in the process.

"Shit" He muttered as he instinctively stood up.

"Raphael!" Splinter barked "There is no need for such language."

Raph took the towel April handed to him and wiped himself off while she dried off the table. For the remainder of the meal Raph sat quietly in his seat.

He couldn't help but to think of what lay in store for him the next time he would try to make his way home after dinner. No doubt Mike would be the turtle that looked after him. Dear goodness, Mikey, the turtle who just put peanuts out in the woods to lead wild animals to their door step. He was doomed.

* * *

"Would you stop it!" Raph smacked his bo against Mikey's shins in an effort to keep him from babbling away like a stream. He needed to concentrate. The last two times he had made it back to the farm were just practice. This time it was for real and he had to concentrate,. The sun would by down in an hour or two and the wind hadn't picked up any. He would have nothing to help him back except for his own sense of direction.

Mikey clutched at his shins alternately hopping on one foot.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Mikey moaned.

Raph finally turned around and headed back towards the house once it became obvious Mike wasn't going to give him any kind of cue to do so.

Unlike Leo and Don, Mikey didn't go hopping off into the trees or pretend he wasn't there. He took it like any other stroll in the woods, completely oblivious to the many odd things Raph was doing.

Every once in awhile Raph would trip or run into something but most of his mishaps were caused unbeknownst by his rambunctious brother, who in his hyper state was bouncing circles around him. He would unknowingly set a branch to spring back in Raph's face when he moved or wonder into the area in front of Raph causing him to stop short.

"I think I got a new theme song made up. T-U-R-T-L-E Power! T-U-R-T-L-E Power! Mike continued to sing and prance around but he abruptly stopped and pounced on Raph.

"Ow! You know what Mike? I've had just about enough of you!" He pushed Mike off but Mike pounced right back on him, covering his mouth.

"Shhh!"

Raph finally found purchase with one of his feet on Mike's shell and kicked him off. He stayed on the ground though and listened carefully.

He heard breathing. It wasn't Mike's though. It was heavy and came in short puffs.

"Come here. It's okay." Mike coaxed to what ever it was.

"What is that? A horse?" Raph asked as he got to his feet.

"Nah, it's one of the green men. One of the babies I think. You got so big!" He cooed as he pulled pistachios from a pouch in his belt. The heavy breathing continued and was soon followed by snorting and crunching.

"Mike you're totally ridiculous." He listened to Mike calm the babe.

"Aw Raph she's friendly. Come pet her."

Raph slowly waved his hand in front of his face. He felt a hand push up against his outstretched hand. It was covered in long scruffy fur and was at about chest height. He gave the head a good scratch and the creature moved in for more. She leaned up against Raph's legs, nearly knocking him over as she silently asked to be petted more.

"Hold on I gotta go get more pistachios. I know I left a bunch of them around her somewhere."

Mike zipped off somewhere and Raph tried to start towards the farm again but the creature refused to budge from its place in front of him.

The second Mikey came back it moved towards the food source, allowing Raph to work again.

"Come on" Mike coaxed." Follow me."

"You're not really thinking about taking that thing home are you?"

"Well she's following."

"It's because you have food!"

"You can't tell me she's not cute."

As if on cue the creature nuzzled the side of Raph's leg. Raph hesitated but gave her another pat.

"I gotta find more pistachios!"

Mikey took off at a run through the woods and this time the creature followed.

Raph smiled and shook his head. Not far back in the woods he heard Mikey call for him in a slightly wavery voice.

"Raph I think you should come see this."

For once Raph let the reference to sight slip. He carefully followed the origin of Mikey's voice. As he approached where he was he listened carefully. He could hear a buzzing. What was that? Flies? The creature was mewing softly, sadly almost. A sniff confirmed something else rotting flesh.

"It's the green men." Mikey informed Raph sadly without prompting. "Two of them. It looks like they were attacked or something, all ripped up and torn apart. They're dead.

The little one continued to mew.

"There's nothing we can do if they're dead." Raph said as he turned away.

"Well it means we should take care of Cokey."

"Mike she's not a dog. She's a wild animal." Raph turned and started back towards the house. "Is it just me or did you just call her Cokey?"

"Yeah that's what I'm naming her, and we can't just leave her out here to fend for herself. She's too young. She'll die!"

Raph sighed and rubbed at his face. "Well," He started slowly. "If she follows you home there's nothing you can do about it right?"

Mikey's face broke into a grin.

"Right. Come on Cokey. You're coming home with us!"

* * *

Cobart stood before his newly hired mercenaries. Four of them sat slouching in chairs. Two more stood leaning against the wall. Cobart grinned. Every man that stood before him was an assassin, born and breed to kill, all hand picked by him.

Outside the room they were in he had no doubt Saki's foot soldiers were standing to attention. The only thing the men on either side of the door shared was that none of them were loyal to anyone for very long. Saki's soldiers liked to think they were but their petty loyalty only lasted until they got frightened, then it was gone like the fleeting wind. His men were loyal to themselves and in it only for the money. They would die for their pay, and a little bit of fun. Cobart loved men like that.

"Here's the mission. There are five targets, weird alien things, but it doesn't matter what they look like. All that matters is if they're dead, you get money." Cobart threw down a stack of pictures. "They're warriors, more so than any two of you put together, so take any shot you can get and don't play around."

He watched as they flipped through the pictures. Some were of Leo leaping to attack, his face half covered by shadows. Others were of Raph lying unconscious on a dissection table. The expression on his men's faces didn't change once. "It's a simple in out job. The only objective is to terminate the targets. Once that is done you can loot the place, taxidermy the bodies, whatever. I don't care. Those are my terms. We all clear?"

Six men nodded and Cobart grinned. He popped the clip into his M-16.

"Let's do it."

He loved mercenaries.

He yanked open the door and strutted out into the room where he knew the Foot soldiers were waiting.

"Hey look guys, I think these kiddies want to tag along!"

The men behind Cobart all gave evil chuckles at the expense of the soldiers clad in black.

"Alright boys, let's move out. Oh and it you children want to tag a long you had better stay out of the way. Oh and try not to fall on your own spears."

On the way out Cobart was met by an old man. He waited as the old man whispered into his ear. His expression fell.

"Damnit!" He yelled with a stomp of his foot. "Okay." He said once he regained his composure. "You guys are staying here until I figure this out. Our targets have moved and I don't want anyone leaking anything about this mission. I'll contact you again when I get a lock on them.

* * *

"Mike are you nuts? You can't keep a wild animal in the house!"

"But she's an endangered species." Mike protested. "I'm helping her kind survive."

Don had been waiting on the couch for Raph and Mike to return with a stopwatch. He was nearly shocked out of his shell when twenty seven minutes after they left they returned with Cokey in their midst. Now the whole family including Casey and April were congregated in the living room.

Cokey sat between Raph and Mike. Mikey was feeding her s steady stream of pistachios and Raph would give her an occasional pat. "Think of it was an experiment Don. You can find out all that scientific stuff you always want to find out about things. She's friendly I swear!"

You don't even know what she eats Mike. How can you take care of her?"

"Easy. Hold something out in front of her. If she eats it then give her more. If she doesn't then don't force it."

"Dogs love chocolate, which can kill them and kids hate vegetables which help them grow." April protested.

"Well we'll just give her lettuce and meet and things. You can't go wrong there."

Actually according to my observations the green man is an herbivore, a plant eater." Don held up a finger. "I for one think we should keep her until she can be reintroduced to the wild."

"You mean we can't take her home?"

"Mike I don't think she'll fit down a manhole once she reaches full size, besides if there really is such a limited number of their species she should go back to the wild so she can breed and reproduce."

"Alright if I promise to send her back to the wild when we leave can I keep her? Please?"

"Everyone who would like Michaelangelo to keep her raise your hand."

The vote was four to one. Splinter and Leo didn't vote.

Mike pumped a fist in the air and whooped.

"Alright! Looks like your staying with us Cokey!"

"She's not staying in our room though." Don warned. "No way is she messing with my stuff."

By nightfall Mike had cleared out the laundry room of everything hazardous and had made himself a bed, so he could be with Cokey for her first night.

Cokey was busy inspecting every inch of the room. Once her inspection was complete she moseyed over and cuddled up next to Mike.

Don said she might see Mike as her surrogate mother since her real mother died. Mike sure hoped she would.

"Night Cokey." Mike said as he reached up and gave a tug on the cord to turn out the lights. "Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

* * *

Raph knew he wouldn't have any trouble getting to sleep. Tramping through the woods all day left his injuries stinging. The second his head hit the pillow he was asleep. He didn't even need to listen to Leo's breathing patterns to lull him off to dream land.

Just before dawn he awoke again. He debated about going back to sleep but opted to stay up and think awhile.

He had done it yesterday. He had done what he never thought he'd be able to do again. He had been independent, making it home not once but three times. If it was possible to do that, to not lean on someone else, could he do other things too? Could he do topside? Could he have his life back to normal? Could he actually be ninja?

Scenes of the last few days ran through his head. Splinter telling him he had to live with his blindness in harmony with his Ninjitsu, Leo telling him to give it time and Mikey telling him to get up off his shell. The feelings he felt walking through the woods and the pride of making it home.

In that moment he made a decision. Just because he was blind didn't mean that he was done with. He wasn't hit so hard that he couldn't get back up. He wasn't going to just try to get by. He WAS going to try and be everything he once was.

Raph got out of bed as silently as possible. Grabbing his gear, he slowly made his way down the stairs and out of the house. Once outside, he took the time to strap on his gear.

He performed a few warm up katas and stretched out. A sudden yearn for his sais reached the pit of his stomach as he instinctively reached for his belt slots. They weren't there though and he knew there weren't there. Instead he picked up his bo and continued with the warm up katas.

He would have to made a new belt so he had room for his bo and his sais. Raph performed kata after kata, slowly at first, but then he began to pick up speed. His kee ya's were soft but sharp and even though his eyes couldn't see they were focused on his imaginary opponent.

He still favored his wounded leg which made some of the moves he performed rather awkward.

As he worked Raph felt the familiar pull from doing something he loved. A smile spread across his face and stayed there. He could do it. He would do it. This blindness would not hold him. He could almost imagine the sun coming over the horizon. His feet were wet from the dew. Joy coursed through him. No, this blindness didn't matter anymore. He WAS going to be the same turtle he was before, no matter what.

* * *

Mike awoke to a sharp bark of surprise from Cokey. As he awoke more fully, he was silently thankful he had taken a lot of stuff out of the laundry room. Cokey had the lid open to the washer and many random buttons were depressed. Water was running into laundry tub from the faucet she had turned on and currently she had her head in the dryer.

Mike chuckled.

"You and me are going to get along just great Cokey."

He went into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of his pistachios. He was almost out. He'd have to find some other food soon.

"Mike called Cokey's name as he entered the laundry room and held out the pistachios. It only took a few before she followed him out into the kitchen. He took a bowl from the cupboard and filled it with cool water for her.

He checked his watch to see that it was almost time for morning practice. The guys would have to wake themselves up this morning. He had to take care of Cokey.

He found his way back to the laundry room and strapped his gear on. After Cokey finished her water she galloped up behind him and mewed.

"You still hungry?" He asked as he slipped his nunchaku in his belt. "Let's see what else there is to eat."

She followed him into the kitchen. Mike pulled out a box of cheerios and offered her a bowl of them. As she ate he pulled out a head of lettuce from the fridge and tore a few leaves into the bowl. Hot dog pieces came next, then he scrounged up another small bowl and filled it with milk.

"Home made dog food!" Mike smiled to himself and sat on the counter to watch her eat. She turned her nose up at the milk and picked out the hot dog bits but other than that she licked the bowl clean.

Leo called him from the living room. He had just enough time to chuck the bowl in the sink. Opening the fridge door, he hesitated before pouring the milk back into the carton. He raced out of the kitchen with Cokey close on his heels.

"Hey Mike do you know where Raph is? He wasn't in the room when I woke up."

"I heard someone coming down the stairs when I was feeding Cokey this morning. Maybe it was him."

The two strolled out into the yard to find Raph sitting on the porch waiting for them.

"Bout time you guys showed up. I thought you weren't coming to practice or something."

"What the heck are doing out here so early Raph? It's like five thirty."

"Pretending to be Leo. Where's Don?"

Leo wondered how Raph knew that Don wasn't with them but he answered none the less. He's slow to the start line this morning. He'll be down in a sec."

Don came down and they warmed up and stretched out. Half an hour later Master Splinter made his appearance. He had watched from across the lawn during his early morning walk as Raph came out to do his own katas. Even the kata he did during warm up had more of a kick to them. Raphael was getting his zest for life back, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. As Splinter approached the four he could see Raphael was standing just as tall as his brothers. He was definitely making great progress.

"My sons, today I would like to try a new exercise in your practice. We have more open space available to us and I suggest we use it. I would like to try a predator prey scenario of sorts. You will pair off. One pair will get a head start. Five minutes later the other team will track. This will continue for two hours unless one team discovers the other and initiates a battle. Am I clear?"

The boys all snapped to attention. "Hai Sensei!" They all barked.

Raph paired up with Leo and Don with Mike. Raph couldn't help but worry. He was trying to get back on his feet but was he really ready for this? Leo called for them to check their weapons. Raph stood for a moment missing his sais. He bent down to retrieve his bo but was met half way by something else.

"I thought you might like to have these." Splinter spoke as he put Raph's sais in his hand.

Raph grinned. "Thanks Sensei."

He twirled them once and set about checking the wrappings. He was still nervous as shell about this practice but at least his sais made him feel a little bit safer. He gave his sais another flip as he slid them into his belt without hesitation. He could still do that. It made him smile.

Now they were out in the woods, hiding from Mike and Don. Raph wasn't even really sure how he got out there so quick without tripping and killing himself. He stood with his shell pressed up against a tree, concentrating for all he was worth.

"All clear Raph?" Leo whispered as quietly as possible. It made Raph wince. Normally they would use hand singles to convey that sort of thing, but Raph couldn't see the hand signals. He'd have to find a way to fix that.

"I don't know. How am I supposed to tell?" Raph whispered back.

"Listen."

"I can't tell Leo." Raph whispered harshly.

"Concentrate."

"Yeah. Yeah Leo It's all clear." Raph finally said exasperated out of pure frustration.

Leo moved out from his hiding spot and was promptly given a kick in the chest that sent him flying back with an 'uff.'

"It wasn't all clear Raph." Leo shot as he pounced towards Mike who had kicked him.

"I told you I wouldn't know if it was." Raph shot back as he tried to concentrate harder. He heard Don jump from the tree above him and prepared for his bo to strike at him. He held a hand up to catch the bo but at the last second he felt a wind to his right. His other hand shot out just in time.

A scuffle broke out. Raph whirled left and right but never touched a thing.

"Am I even close to hitting you?" Raph asked as he tried desperately for another strike.

"About three inches." Don answered as he jumped back to avoid a blow.

"Mind me using my sais?" Raph dearly wanted to use his sais.

"By all means."

Raph gave his trade mark grin as he slid his sais from his belt.

"Get ready to get your shell smacked Don."

Raph became a whirlwind of activity. He still wasn't hitting Don but he was getting closer.

A few yards away Leo and Mike were going at it. Mikey was pretending to be Tarzan and Leo was having a heck of a time keeping a lock on him. A sudden urgent mewing could be heard and all four boys quickly stopped their sparring.

Cokey came galloping into the woods crying loudly. She scampered up the tree Mike was sitting in and pressed herself against his leg almost knocking him over.

"Hey it's alright girly."

"Mike how did she even get out of the house?"

"Beats me. I shut her in the laundry room before I left."

As long as she clung to Mike's leg she was content but the second he tried to pry her off she would start to cry and whimper again.

"I guess she really did imprint you as her surrogate mother Mike. You know your real lucky. If she was just a bit older she wouldn't want to be near you and a bit younger she would still be drinking her mother's milk."

"It's alright Cokey." Mike cooed as he gently untangled the lanky arms from around his calf. Cokey let go and reattached herself around Mikey's neck. He made fake choking noises but let her stay.

After a few moments of all the turtles doing absolutely nothing she lost interest and crawled down to play. They continued to spar but it was only a few moment before Cokey could be heard growling. Mike stopped and turned just in time to be plowed in the plastron by the green fur ball. She barked and growled alternately as she jumped around on Mike's plastron and gently hit him with balled up fists.

She wasn't as small as she thought she was though and every jump was accented by a loud out take of air from Mike.

"She wants to play Mike. She must think your also her sibling."

"Enough pistachios will do that to ya.' Raph remarked from somewhere in the background.

"Come on girly. I gotta find some place to put you. I'll be right back guys."

Mike walked back to the house as quickly as he could with Cokey on his hip.

He put her in the laundry room and raced back to his brothers.

For the better part of three hours the hour hide, tracked, and sparred. Raph wasn't much help in the tracking department. He often gave away their hiding spot, and he rarely made contact while he was sparring but he was trying. He listened carefully and reacted on what he heard. Splinter was amazes at the radical difference in him. Once again his motions were fluid. He still had a way t go yet but Splinter could see the fire rekindled in his soul. Things were indeed looking up

* * *

Kevin and his sister stood before the sink washing dishes together.

Jodie was elbow deep in sudsy water and Kevin got the cushy job of drying and putting away. At the table sat Jodie's friend, Annie. She had heard Kevin was coming home and decided to come over and pay a visit.

"Hey Annie. I have this friend who's.. uh real social phobic. He just recently went blind and his family wants him to get a guide dog… um but he's afraid to go to the school with all the people around. Is there any way he can get the dog without going to the school for the training?"

Annie Laughed out right.

"Kev I worked long and hard to get Bruno after I went completely blind. The training the person goes through to learn how to use the dog is just as important as the dog needing to know how to work. Nobody would ever allow someone to take the dog without training."

Jodie flicked some dishwater at Kevin.

"Yeah Bozo." She flashed him a daring grin.

He pouted and flicked some water back.

"I was just asking."

Jodie grabbed a handful of soap suds and smeared them all over Kevin's face. Kevin retaliated by wetting his towel and gently hitting her with it. She gasped in mock shock and cocked a 'do you really want to do that?' eyebrow at him.

Apparently Kevin knew that look all too well because his eyes widened and he turned to run. She was quicker though and as he turned to make his escape she jumped on his back and wrapped her legs around his, effectively bringing him to the ground. He tried to roll over and push her off him but she continued to try to wrestle him into a pin.

"You know Jod, this is quite unbecoming of two adults such as ourselves."

"Oh your just whining cuz you know I can beat your butt."

"It's only bad because you're my younger sister."

"And that just shouldn't happen, a younger sister consistently beating up her older brother"

"Then there's also the fact that we aren't kids anymore." Kevin lay back panting as he tried to get up but couldn't. "And it's really not fair. I mean I'm the oldest."

Annie laughed somewhere in the background.

"Are you two playing nice or should I send Bruno over to break you up?"

At the sound of his name the dog's ears perked up. Jodie called him over and scratched his head for him.

"No, we're good. He's pinned and I'm victor."

Jodie placed a kiss on Kevin's cheek an released him from his position on the ground. "It's okay. Girls are allowed to be boys sometimes!"

* * *

"Hey guys! Come look at this!"

After morning practice the guys were ordered by Splinter to work on cleaning up the house. Splinter wanted a bit of spring sprucing to be done in return for Casey letting them stay at the farm. Mike and Splinter had taken the basement. Don and Leo took the middle floors and Raph volunteered to clean the attic as best as possible.

Raph figured he could do the best in the attic with nothing but boxes. He figured he couldn't go wrong. Dusting was out of the questions so he lugged the vacuum cleaner up the pull down stairs and started working away. The going was slow. He had to run a hand very slowly over a spot before vacuuming. He didn't want to suck up anything important. He also didn't want to stir up the dust so it was slow going.

His progress was slow but steady. He had Don cover his wounds so the dust wouldn't agitate them, and it was a good thing too. He was covered from head to toe I dust. His lungs would never be the same again.

When Mike called he was more than willing to get out of the crawl space for some fresh air. He left the vacuum and slowly made his way down the drop down stairs and found his bo on the floor. He found his way down to the ground floor rather easy but he had to work a little to find the basement stairs. He finally located them in the corner of the dining room, an odd place for basement stairs.

Raph was the last to make it down the stairs to where Mike was standing nest to a dust covered drop cloth over some piece of furniture.

"You'll never guess what I found!" He glowed as he patted the cloth sending up a cloud of dust.

With another wide goofy grin he yanked the sheet off. The settled dust flew up into the air making everyone cough. Under the cloth was a table. A pool table to be exact. It was clearly quite old but in good condition.

"Cool." Don and Leo exclaimed almost simultaneously.

"What is it?" Despite his new vow not to let his blindness get to him, Raph couldn't help but feel a little left out.

"It's a pool table. Balls, sticks, chalk, rack, everything."

The green felt on the table was old and worn but still quite useable.

The wood bore a few nicks and scratches but the table didn't seem warped at all.

"So what do you say Sensei? Can we take a break and play for a bit?"

"I suppose so. I will go upstairs and prepare lunch."

Mike whooped and grabbed a stick. Leo and Don did rock paper scissors. Leo won and Don would play winner in the next game. Mike set up the balls as Leo chose a stick. Don found two old bar stools for him and Raph to sit on and the game began.

The game was entertaining to watch to say the least. Mike and Leo both made completely off the wall shots.

"Two off the seven off the side wall in the corner pocket."

"There's no way you're gonna make that Mike. The eight ball is right there."

"Watch and learn my dear brother."

Mike lined up and took his shot. The two ball bounced off the seven, sending it into the side wall. It just barely missed the eight ball before it found the corner pocket.

"I'm a master." Mike stuck out his tongue.

Raph listened to the balls clack off one another and drop into the pockets. If his brothers hadn't been calling out shots he was sure he'd be lost. It wasn't exactly as fn to listen as it was to watch but he stayed none-the-less. He needed a break from the dusty attic.

"You alright bro?" Don asked as he leaned over. " You look like you're off in lala land."

"Nah I'm fine." Raph scratched absently at his stitches. "When can I get these things out anyways? They're buggin the heck out of me."

"I donno. I'll check them tonight. We might have to leave them in a few more days though with all the activity you've been doing."

Raph heard another ball plop into the pocket.

"I won I won I woooon nah nah nahnahnah! Mike pranced around the table and waved his stick about like a trophy.

Leo tossed his stick to Don.

"Beat his butt Donny."

Don stepped up to the table, an all business look on his face.

"Alright Mike, let's see what you've got."

Half way through the game Splinter called that lunch was ready and then it was back to work. Raph trudged his way back up the stairs and the drop down ladder. Despite the monotony of the work he felt something he hadn't felt since he for hurt. He felt useful.


	11. Dances with Turtles

Disclaimer: I don't own them just like I don't own Cheerios. Eye of the Tiger isn't mine and I swear I'm not making any money. Does anybody find it odd how everything is copyrighted now adays?

A/N: I figured I'd give you guys another chapter seeing as I'm going off to law enforcement camp a.k.a. voluntary boot camp for the week.

Pacphys- Ah yes everybody seems to hold great animosity towards Cobart. Lol I know he's evil but wait till you see him a few chapters from now! Chibi Rose Angel asked em to bring Kevin's sister back And I was board during a track meet so out came the notebook and the scene was written before I knew it. Thanks for reviewing!

Lunar-ninja- Yes Mikey named the green men… he was puzzled over what to name the kids though. He went in the fridge for some munchies and low and behold there sat Tab and Coke… hence the names Tabba and Cokey… Mike is such a dork sometimes but we gotta love him! Oh lo siento! I wrote something twice? Sorry I beta my own stuff and I had typed that chapter without reading it to my sister so my beta job wasn't all that great. Sorry! Yes what Cobart meant by 'kiddies' was that they were still wet behind the ears as far as their training went. He was being a bit of a jerk. Thanks for the review!

Chibi Rose Angel- You noticed they never have Leo Mike interactions too? Personally I think it would be a hoot! As for Kevin and his sister I had to bring him back for you… but you won't see him again until the end of the story… that scene wasn't planned but you gave me the inspiration so out it came! The idea for the pool game came from my friend trying to teach me at youth group one night. I suck at any game that has anything to do with balls. Sequel? Yes, I saw the Daredevil movie and it gave me a ton of new ideas that I can't fit in this story so yes sequel. (Plus the whole fact that I'm a sucker for sequels.) Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Evening practice was over and the boys were free to do as they wanted. Mike and Leo opted to stay outside and watch the sun set. Don all but raced for his computer saying that he had work to do.

Earlier during the day he had tapped into an internet account so now he had access to the web. In no time at all he had logged on and was searching for Kevin's ICQ number. He hoped he had one. After all it was the twenty first century. He was quite relieved when he found his number.

"Hey it's Donatello. I wanted to ask you a favor." He typed and waited for a response. It came back moments later and was as much as he expected.

"You guys follow me everywhere don't you? Why'd you guys skip off all a sudden?"

Don chuckled.

"I think Splinter thought Raph needed a change of scenery."

"So what do you need?"

"A Braille label maker. I read about it on the net and thought it might be useful. I'll have the money for you when we get back… which is who knows when."

"Yeah sure and tell Mike that the watch he ordered is in. so how have you guys been?"

Once again Don laughed.

"Raph spent all yesterday pretending to be an Army Ranger."

"Do I even want to know?"

* * *

Raph had found his way to the basement once again. It was a little easier this time. Once down there he put down his bo and searched around for the rack and a stick. He set up the balls but almost immediately found a problem. How was he going to tell the cue ball from all the other balls? It wasn't like he could put a sticker or anything on it. It would interfere with the roll of the ball.

Raph slowly walked around the table running his hand along the sides. He recalled everything he had done in the woods to get him home, his memory, the sunshine, wind, the birds. He couldn't use any of it. Then there was that gross Home Depot smell. That was it! Smell, he could rub the ball in something so he could tell which was which. Raph grabbed his bo and made his way back up to the kitchen.

As he approached the dining room he could hear the tap tap tap of Don's keyboard.

"Hey Don, do you know if we brought any spices or anything?"

"Um yeah. I think Mike put them away in the drawer to the right of the stove."

"Thanks."

"Sure thing." Don watched Raph walk away.

Raph found the kitchen fairly quick. He started at the door and walked around the perimeter of the room until he found the stove range. He backed up a bit and found the drawer. Rooting around inside, he opened every bottle and took a sniff until he found something he could use.

Don watched as Raph came back out of the kitchen fifteen minutes later with a bottle of root beer extract in his hand. Without a word he descended back into the cellar. Raph was getting weirder by the day.

Down in the basement Raph carefully rubbed some of the root beer extract onto the cue ball. He had no idea why Mike would bring something as pointless as root beer extract with them but he wasn't going to question it.

He lined the cue ball up with the rest of the rack and took a shot. He heard the balls scatter, which was always a good thing.

Ever so slowly he worked his way around the table and found each ball. He gently rested his hand on it so as not to move it. Placing a finger where the ball was he'd pick it up and take a sniff. He had an idea where the cue ball would be but he wanted to make sure. On the forth ball he hit the jackpot. He laid his stick right next to it so he could find it again and proceeded to locate the other balls. He tried to get an image of where they were in his head before going back to his stick and the cue ball. He lined up and took a hit. The cue ball hit something, he knew that. There was a soft plunk as a ball fell into a pocket and Raph grinned. It wasn't your average game of pool but it worked.

He must have been working on the game for two or three hours because he heard someone descending the stairs.

"I thought you died or somethin down here bro." Mike froze halfway down the stairs when he noticed Raph at the table. Half the balls were gone and he was lining up to take another shot. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Practicing so I can beat your sorry shell," Raph turned and smirked.

Mike put a hand on his plastron.

"Moi? I'll have you know Raphy boy, you can not beat perfection." Mike descended the rest of the steps and took a seat on one of the stools. "You been hitting most of them?"

"Most. It's getting harder now that there aren't so many balls on the table."

Raph took his shot and missed.

"Well you may not be hitting them but you're darn close."

Raph gave a grin. He began his walk around the table and Mike sat slightly puzzled.

"What the heck are you doing?"

"How did you think I was managing to play pool?"

"I donno but if you start licking them though I'm high tailing it out of here."

Raph chuckled.

"I highly doubt you came down here to watch me play pool."

"No, but it's quite entertaining now that I'm down here. I'm playing hide and go seek with Cokey. She's one sneaky little bugger. I was outside relaxing on the porch and she came up and slapped me. We were playing tag but she's faster than me so now we're playing hide and go seek."

The basement door creaked open and a mewing could be heard.

"Don't tell me you taught her how to open doors."

"No I don't think I did." Mike crept over to the stairs when Cokey didn't come down. "Aw Raph. She's afraid to come down. She's sitting at the top of the stairs looking so innocent!"

"Yeah real innocent." Don's voice filtered through the open doorway. "She tried to chew up my computer cords. Can you just keep her with you Mike?"

Cokey caught sight of Mike at the bottom of the stairs and decided to make her way down to him. She took one step at a time every so slowly. Her rump would thump onto each step as she bumped her way down to the bottom.

She galloped over to Mike and he gave her a handful of Cheerios. He ruffled her fur and spoke to her playfully.

"You're such a good girl! Yeah! Good girl!"

In turn she reared up and slapped him on the shell with a front paw that sent him on his stomach. They wrestled around on the floor, Mike making a lot of the same noises as Cokey.

"You know once she gets bigger she'll be able to rip you apart when you play a game like that."

"But she's a kid. You gottta play games like that when you're a kid." Cokey smacked Mike again and jumped on his shell. "Alright easy there Kido. You jump much harder and you'll crack my shell."

* * *

Raph crept down the stairs just as he had done the morning before. He tapped his bo softly from side to side. He found that if he slid it across the wooden floor it made too much noise.

He couldn't help but think how he was turning into Leo. He had gotten up just after Leo left for his morning run. Getting up early to go to extra practice wasn't Raph's style but he knew he needed it.

Raph got to the ground floor and almost immediately noticed the mess. His bo brushed across pillows and a path that was once clear to him was now covered in odds and ends.

"Either Cokey got out or we were robbed." Raph bent down and picked up a pillow. The stuffing was coming out. Raph could only imagine what the couch looked like. Raph righted a side table in his path and continued to take in the damage done to the room. Papers under his feet, was Don's lap top trashed? He stepped in something gross that only Cokey could produce and right away his exploration of the room was done.

"Gross! Mike needs to get his pet house trained." He scraped his foot against the floor boards and continued on his way outside.

He felt better today. He had his sais to work with and he no longer had to use the bo. Ten minutes into his kata Raph straightened up and put his sais away.

"Guess what Master Splinter."

Splinter silently chuckled.

"What?"

Raph grinned wider once he knew he had guess right.

"I heard you."

It wasn't really Splinter he had heard at first. It was the step squeaking, but the slightly raspy breathing was a dead give away.

"Yes, but are you fast enough to avoid my walking stick?"

Raph took his sais out and spun them.

"Well let's see."

Raph concentrated just as he had in the woods two days before. He felt the whoosh of air and reacted. He was able to block three or four strikes before he started to get behind and Splinter would land a hit. He was totally defenseless to any stabs Splinter made his way but he was getting better at the side strikes.

As they worked Don, Mike, and Leo slowly filed out into the yard. They stood and waited, not making a sound as their brother and Sensei sparred. Leo kifed Raph's bo and waited for a cue from Splinter. When he got it he joined in the fight. Don too joined in when he noticed Raph was handling the both of them just fine. The strikes against Raph were slow and deliberate but he managed to block most of them.

"Have your feet grown from the grown Raphael? You are like a tree, not moving at all."

"Where do I move to?" Raph asked. He noticed he wasn't moving but to be honest how could he? "What if I run into you. Or one of the other two bozos who decided to join in."

"Use their weapon strikes to guide you. Their weapons are useless to protect them if they are not between them and the enemy."

Raph stuck both sais he had been using to catch the blows back in his belt and used his hands to block. He grabbed hold of the first bo that hit the palm of his hand and pried it upwards causing the opposite end to go down. He used the momentum from the move to pole vault up and over his attackers head. Don's hands were pried loose from his bo when Raph went over his head. Raph landed with his injured leg out and his other foot beneath him. With Don's bo held close to his carapace he spun in a circle and knocked Don off his feet.

"Pretty fly for a blind guy." Mike joked in the background. Raph chuckled.

He was proud of himself. Mike was right. That wasn't half bad. Sure everyone that was sparring with him was going easy on him, but he was fairly sure whoever he knocked off their feet was surprised.

"Here's your bo back," Leo traded Raph for Don's bo.

"I trust that this means you'll be up to some sparring today Raphael?"

"I'll never know if I never try Sensei."

"Good, Michaelangelo if you please would go get your stereo."

Mikey didn't ask questions. He ran off to his and Don's room, unplugged his stereo and grabbed a few cds. If they got to listen to music during practice it was alright by him.

"What do you know about the Spartans of ancient Greece?" Splinter asked once his sons were kneeling in front of him.

Leo spoke up first, recognizing the question as a history lesson and knowing that they should go down the line and give a fact.

"The Spartans were a war like city state known far and wide for their fighting skills."

"Their archenemies were the Athenians, a peace loving race who, unlike the Spartans, indulged in learning art, astronomy, and literature." Don stated

"They are the things nightmares are made of." Mikey spoke in a spooky voice, but quickly added, "And they had some of the best war moves around." After a hard look from Master Splinter.

"They killed their babies if they weren't perfect, sent their kids off to boot camp to starve and be beaten at age seven and were forced to stay in the army until age sixty."

"Raph have you been listening to Master Splinter?" Mikey asked after Raph took his turn. Just a little, but those guys make me mad. They treated their kids like dogs to be trained and ordered around."

"This may be true, but they were still great warriors. There is one thing you were wrong about though Donatello. The Spartans did participate in one kind of art. They believed that dancing improved balance and gracefulness when fighting, so today during practice we shall do as the Spartans did."

Splinter nodded to Michaelangelo who jumped up and hit the play button on his CD player.

Dun Da Da Dun Da Da Dun Da Da Dun Da Da Dun A Bass guitar and a piano laid out the background music. It was soon followed bay a cymbal. Bum Bum Bah Bum Ba Bah Bum Ba Bah Buuum.

Do a kata in rhythm with the music. Let the drums guide you.

The boys grinned as they recognized the song as Eye of the Tiger.

"What kata Sensei?"

"Hmm, how about the Naifun-chin?"

The four nodded and as the leader singer began they started their kata.

The moved perfectly in time with the music until another song broke in.

"Hey mike, am I correct in thinking that a song should make it all the way through to the end before another song cuts in?"

"Yeah well it's a burnt CD and I discovered Don's mixer and went to town with it."

"Change to the rhythm of the music my sons."

Bump de bump duh bump de de bump duh.

Their moves became sharp and crisp like a well oiled machine they worked through a few katas. After they got a hang of changing with the music Splinter ordered them to spar.

It was like a intricate dance. The more one looked at it the more beautiful it became. Each turtle almost became untouchable. Strike after strike would be parried with a block perfectly in time with the music. Even Raph was doing well much to his surprise. He could hear the music and imagine what Don would do. Most of the time he was right. Raph used his bo for fear of hurting Don with his sais.

As the last song played out Splinter called a halt to the sparring.

"You did well today my sons. Dismissed

"Hai Sensei." They all bowed and left.

"So why did Raphael suddenly decide to get up off his lazy shell?" Mike asked Raph as they walked back to the house.

"I wasn't about to have you show me up." Raph grinned.

They strolled into the kitchen and Mikey pulled out two glasses from the cupboard.

"Cup."

Raph ran his hand down Mike's arm and found his hand to take the cup from him.

"You picking up new tricks?"

"You wouldn't believe how long it took me to figure that out."

Raph ran his hand along the counter and turned on the tap.

Mike went to the back door and called for Cokey.

"So is that mess she made in the living room cleaned up yet?"

Mike snorted.

"Far from it. I'm waiting for Master Splinter to come in and flip a lid. Cokey is hiding outside."

Mike picked up Cokey's water bowl and filled it at the sink.

"Mike, do that again."

"Do what again?"

"That water, do it again." Mike gave Raph an odd look but spilled out the water and filled the bowl again. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what? Raph I think you're going off your rocker."

"No, the water, when you fill it up the sound is different when it gets closer to the top. Do it again." Mike sighed but filled up the bowl again. "There, is it close to the top?"

"It's about three fourths."

Mikey set down that water when Cokey started to paw at his leg.

"I noticed the same thing happen when I was going upstairs last night but I didn't think about it too much."

Don walked in and opened the fridge.

"Think about what?"

"The pitch of something getting higher when you reach the top like stairs and filling up glasses."

"It's because of the vibrations."

"Wha?"

"Okay it's like this." Don took a glass from the cupboard and set it on the table.

Everything gives off vibrations. When your foot falls on a stair it sends vibrations to the surrounding walls and bounces back enabling us to hear. The same with the glass of water. Let's take the glass as our example. The vibrations look for an exit from the cup, which is the top. We only hear the sound when the vibrations spill out of the top and fill the air. When you first start to fill the glass the vibrations have farther to travel till they reach the air and they slow down. That creates the lower pitch." He moved his hand slowly up the side of the glass to motion what he was talking about. "When they get closer to the top they have less space to drop and bounce out almost immediately, speeding them up and creating a higher pitched noise. This happens with a lot of things, stairs, alley ways. Why'd you ask?"

Mike tried to share a look with Raph who just cocked an eye ridge.

"We didn't ask, but you think I can use it to my advantage?"

"Most definitely." Don nodded. "You can use it to hear how far up on a sword you struck, when things are hollow, how far away your opponent is in an alley. Come to think of it, it sounds like a pretty good idea. It' a wonder I didn't think about it before.

"Okay, that was weird." Mike muttered as he fixed Cokey's breakfast.

"What are you feeding her?" Don asked.

"Her breakfast. She doesn't like hotdogs so I give her lettuce and cheerios."

"You now I've been researching stuff about her and I think she's a primate of sorts. I think she evolved more than a chimp or ape but not enough to be considered a Homo sapian. Maybe her species missed a step in the evolutionary process because they were better able to survive. All the clues point to that theory.

Mike paused in place for a moment then waved a hand in Don's direction.

"Yeah whatever Don."


	12. Lull Before the Storm

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

A/N: So I went on vacation. Sue me. No wait! Please don't! I don't have enough money to be sued! Lol so I went on a job shadow in NY then NJ after my boot camp. The boot camp sucked but the job shadows were a blast! I'm back with another chapter for you guys though! One more after this I think then we're done. Thanks all for the support!

Tbreader: I love listening to music with the bass turned up. The drums and the back round beat really make up the whole song. You're leaving me? Well I hope you have fun on your trip and I'll try to get this last chapter up before you leave although it's doubtful because it still needs to be written. Sorry to leave you with a cliffy! Thanks for reviewing!

Lunar-ninja: Aw yes the wonderful science of evolution. Creator or creation is the question. Personally I don't see why they can't believe in both. Like that whole big bang theory with the universe being one big ball that exploded. If I were God I'd put everything in a ball just to watch it explode too… I mean you gotta have some fun. Don seems to love his evolution theories. Poor poor Don. Thanks for reviewing!

Isis-Lament: Yeah the green men are basically the TMNT version of big foot. They are big green over grown monkeys… without the tails. You won't see Cokey for much more of the story so it's really not pertinent to know who she is. Yeah root bear…. Oh wait.. it's root bear flavoring! Lo siento! I was thinking vanilla extract and just wrote extract instead of flavoring. Thanks for reviewing!

Pacphys: Raph's pool game came after my best friend teaching me how to play pool. I totally sucked at it and my friends got a kick out of watching me try doing somthign I was actually bad at. Anyways it got me thinking that the boys would have fun with that and out it came. Kifed… I didn't know how to spell it and I forgot to change it. It means steal. I fill my water bottles by sound too. Purely cuz I think it's fun but…Thanks for the review!

Chibi Rose Angel: Yes you'll see in this chapter that Mikey does get a bit of a punishment for letting his pet ruin the house. Alas though he loves Cokey. I learned the kata to music thing in World Cult class. That's why the little history lesson about the Spartans was in there. Thanks for the compliments and review. Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up.

LenniluvsBrian: Lol thanks for the compliments. It means a lot to me that you stayed up to read my fic. (Although seeing as it's summer most teenagers do stay up till three in the morning. Myself excluded.) Thanks for the review!

Jessiy Landroz: If you love how I did Raph in this story wait for the sequel! He's gonna be more Raphy than ever. Thanks bunches for the compliments and review. As for Raph helping Casey with cars… that's gonna be in the sequel too.

* * *

RAPHAEL POV:

It's been a week since we came up here and I've been working my tail off. Being blind definitely isn't as easy as I thought it was before. It's been what, two three weeks? One thing is for sure, I'm definitely not the same turtle I was before. The over whelming darkness isn't so bad anymore. If I stop and think about it it is, but as long as my mind is occupied somewhere else I'm okay. I have to concentrate constantly now. I have to remember which was I'm facing in a room and what furniture is there. I have to listen like nobody's business and that darned Braille isn't getting any easier. I don't think I've done anything but concentrate this whole week. Meditation is almost relaxing. Yeah you never thought you'd hear those words out of my mouth. Between all the concentration and practice I've been doing you'd think I was the love baby of Don and Leo. There was one day when I spent three hours filling different glasses of water just to see if I could tell just by hearing when they were full.

Master Splinter must have seen how hard I've been working myself because he told me to take it easy tomorrow. April and Casey are coming back up for the weekend. Mike has taken to sleeping outside with Cokey. Master Splinter flipped when he saw the mess she made and stated quite clearly that she obviously wasn't an inside pet. He banished her outside and Mike just seemed to go along with her. It's funny really that an animal like Cokey would see Mike as her mother. If it were me she was attached to I think I would have gone crazy in like a day. She clings to him night and day and would follow him around till the end of eternity. Still though she's a good companion to have when you need a friend.

I was trying to read my Braille one night out on the porch and she came up and slipped her head under my hand. I almost have to wonder how she does that. Since we first met she did that, putting her head under my hand. Anyways, despite my frustration at my Braille I gave her a few good pats. She stayed with me until Mike called her and I think it helped to ease my anger.

I don't think I've really had the time to get angry all week. Every time I get angry I lost my concentration and wind up either on the floor or with a bruise, so needless to say this blindness this is really keeping my anger in check.

The rest of the guys have been ordered to go the outside house work now that it's getting warmer. I've been exempt but I might end up doing something anyways. Ever since I went walking in the woods that day I've been anxious to see what other things I can still do even though I'm blind.

Apparently Mike had been working at getting me a guide dog. Shell knows why. Kevin was looking into it and Don got an answer back from him the other day that it would be nearly impossible. I meet all the requirements except for the two facts that I haven't been blind for a year and there's that whole not being a human thing. I guess you have to go to this school for three weeks to be trained how to use the guide dogs. It might not faze the students but I think I'd freak the teachers out.

Ah well. I didn't really know about it ahead of time and I didn't really have a chance to get my hopes up so I feel no real loss. I'm just going to have to do this the old fashion way.

* * *

Cobart jiggled the loose doorknob and growled softly. Broken.

"Piece of junk."  
He stepped back and kicked the door open with the heel of his combat boots. He entered the warehouse he was staying in and set his M-16 on a pile of boxes.

He hated hotels, too much of a paper trail and the beds were too soft. Strolling over to his cot, he removed his army jacket and rolled it up to be used as a pillow that night. He removed his thigh holster and slipped the gun under the jacket. He kept his shoulder holster on though and after removing his once white, now yellow sweat stained crew neck T-shirt.

Cobart moved over to his pile of things in the corner. He opened his ruck sack and pulled out a small green pocket notebook. He had one of them for every big job he ever did. It really wasn't a good idea but it was a quirk he had. After each mission he'd put them in a safebox he had. Every once in awhile he would go and pull a few out and look at himself and some of the stupid things he did in his early years.

Cobart scrounged up a pencil and began to write.

March 20 

_I've sent my soldiers out to look for the targets. They've searched all throughout Manhattan and have found nothing. Meanwhile the other men I have hired are growing weary of their cramped confines with one another. It's never good to have too many men of those type together for very long, but I can't risk them being seen by anyone around here. Most of their faces are memorable enough and they aren't going to be the reason this mission is botched._

Cobart stopped writing as he heard something scurrying along the back wall of the warehouse. Without a second's hesitation he unsheathed his large broad bladed hunting knife and let it fly. A squeal pierced the eerie silence of the warehouse and Cobart grinned. With sigh he heaved himself off his cot to go find what fell prey to his knife.

He found the blade along the far wall stuck to a few boxes. Holding it up he smiled at the rat skewered upon it and licked his lips.

"Dinner is served."

* * *

Mikey frowned he was surrounded by foes with no hope of getting out unscathed. There had to be a million of them, a sea of unending evil, yet he kept hacking away at them. Some, in a last valiant effort of justice, jumped at him and bit at his legs. He was sure they were bleeding from a million miniscule wounds. Yet Michaelangelo was bound and determined to win. His enemies fell before him one by one and the battle was clearly starting to lean his way. He was in the hone stretch when he heard his name being called through the noise of the battle.

"Mike, Mikey, Michaelangelo!"

Mikey turned off the weed whacker and turned to glare at Donny.

"What?" He whined. "I was almost done."

Don glanced at the field. All the weeds that once covered the area had been chopped down to small ankle high stubs of vegetation. Spots of dirt where Mikey hadn't kept steady enough with the machine and managed to also till some soil up. His legs were covered with plant gook and Don thought he could see a little blood where maybe a pebble or two had hit him.

"Mikey we sent you to weed whack the field not get in a battle with it. Though by the looks of it the field's winning."

"'s not my fault. They fight dirty. Outnumber you and go for the eyes those buggers do. I chopped down a weed he size of a sapling, it came back and hit me in the face!" Mikey took off his gloves and used them as a broom, swiping the blended plants off his legs. "So what'd you need Bro?"

"Aw I got the chipper jammed and need an extra pair of hands to fix it."

"Right behind ya Dude. Lead the way."

Don led the way towards the back of the property where a pile of branches were lying waiting to be chipped. Mike strolled over to the jammed machine and inspected it.

"The Shedder?" He questioned as he cocked an eye ridge at the name of the machine written in big letters across the front. "Who'd be better for the job?"

"k Mike I need you to hold this up at an angel so I can get to the bolts underneath. Don't let go unless you fancy seeing crushed turtle head."

Mike gave an evil grin before straddling the chipper and rocking it back so Don could reach the bolts closest to the ground.

"Why do you need to take that off anyways? I mean couldn't you tug on the stick that's stuck until it comes out?"

"Tried it." Don answered from under the chipper. "It's jammed in there good. If I take the chute off though I'll have more room to move about."

Mike's mouth moved in an of as Don explained. Seconds later there was a 'clunk' and an 'ow'! from Don. He slid out rubbing his cheek and holding up the bolt he had needed to get off. Together they eased the stick chute off the machine to reveal the blades. Don grabbed hold of the offending stick and yanked until it popped free, but to his surprise there was a sputtering from the machine and then a roar.

"Take cover!" He screamed as he turned and ducked just before the wood chips started flying towards them. Splinters of wood flew at the two of them, some bouncing off the shells others getting caught painfully in their shoulders and legs. When most of the wood splinters had been ejected Don crawled over to the machine and turned it off.

He turned and shrugged to Mike. "Forgot to disconnect the spark plug."

"Don zero chipper one!" Mike joked.

He tried to brush off the splinters still stuck in his legs but it only caused pain.

"Uh. How about you say we take a break and let April get these out. I feel like a porcupine!"

Donny nodded his agreement and the two fo them walked slowly towards the house, trying not to shove any of the splinters deeper into their skin. They went in the kitchen door and found April fixing lunch.

"Hey Ape whatchya doin?"

Mikey asked once she had noticed them. She continued to chop vegetables with only a quick glance their way. This time Don spoke up.

"Do you think you could maybe put that aside for a minute?"

April put down her knife and grabbed a dishcloth to wipe off her hands.

"Yeah what do you need?"

Both turtles shared guilty looks and slowly turned around.

There was a gasp heard from April.

"Boys! What did you do?"

"Don got the chipper mad."

She turned the two of them around and ushered them towards the front door with her dishtowel.

"Get outside where the light is better while I get a few things."

Outside Raph sat in a chair sanding down a branch of wood.

"Whatchya doing Raph?" Mikey asked as he stepped out onto the porch.

"Leo found this black cherry wood for me and I though I'd make a new Bo Staff."

"You know where he got it from? I could use another Bo."

"Out back someplace when he was taking a walk this morning. You'll have to ask him."

"Alright boys who's first?" April stepped outside with tweezers and peroxide in hand.

"First for what?" Raph put down his half finished Bo and cocked an eye ridge.

"We got attacked by the chipper. Let's just say splinter's galore."

Raph chuckled and picked up his old Bo.

"I'm getting something to drink. All this sanding's makin me thirsty. You guys want anything?"

Both boys nodded yes then almost simultaneously realized their mistakes and verbally told Raph yes.

Raphnodded and made his way into the kitchen and smiled as he quickly found the fridge. He really had worked a lot this last week, even going as far as to memorize the whole house by steps. He pulled a container of tea from the fridge and found three glasses without incident and allowed himself another pat on the back.

Balancing two glasses in the crook of his arm he held the other one and grabbed up his Bo to make his way out to the porch.

A hilarious scene met his ears.

"Ow! April! Stop it!"

"Well I need to get those deep ones out or else they'll get infected."

"Ow Ow Ow! But do you have to pinch so hard?"

"Well do you want to do it yourself Mr. Crybaby? Well then sit still and stop complaining."

Raph chuckled as he sat two of the glasses down on the table and went back to his chair.

"Don't laugh Raphael or we'll sic the chipper on you."

"Raph chuckled again."

" While what? You two run away like babies?"

Mike could be heard making a humph sound but another 'ow!' soon broke him of his snobbish attitude.

"Michaelangelo, if that foot comes up and tries to kick me again I'm leaving you to do this yourself.

"OK ok! Duct tape my mouth shut and strap me down and I won't make another peep."

"Mike, not speaking? Never!" Raph joked. "But I'd be more than happy to duct tape him anyway just for the heck of it."

Raph picked up his half finished Bo and sandpaper and set to work again. "So the chipper attacked you." The tone of his voice implored them to continued but the grin on his face clearly stated they shouldn't.

Mikey, never one to listen to stuble clues continued.

"Yeah and believe it or not the weed whacker makes a great weapon against terrible odds."

"Mike turned the whole field into a clearing of ankle high stubble and plant pulp."

"But it was fun!" Mike interjected.

"So Mike was playing with dangerous machinery. Don was waging war with the chipper. Where'd Leo disappear to?"

"He was cutting the grass but the mower broke down on him. Casey is trying to fix it and Leo went for a quick walk to scout out the land or something. He really didn't get much of a chance to explore the last few times we were here."

"Leo skipping out on yard work to go for a walk?"

"No, Leo taking a quick break to go check on some stuff so we can have some fun later on tonight."

Leo spoke as he climbed up the stairs and took a seat next to Raph.

"What kind of fun, because your kind of fun is sparring till next kingdom come."

"Nah, it's something even you could enjoy Raph, I think."

"So are you going to tell us what it is?"

"I'll take you there after dinner."

It seemed that just then he noticed Mikey's odd position on the outdoor table and Don's refusal to lean anywhere. He gave them a quizzical look.

"What the heck did you guys do?"

"Don called the chipper some bad names and it got kinda mad at him. They got in a fight and the chipper won. Possessions were thrown and Don was kicked out of the house. Needless to say they're getting a divorce."

"Oh dear goodness." Leo put his head in his hands. "This is what we live with."

Raph went back to his sanding.

* * *

"Raph that looks so cool!"

"Well it should. I worked all day on it."

Mike snatched Raph's new bo as soon as he sat down. Raph had stained the wood black with a light varnish that allowed the grain of the wood to show through. He had found some old leather in the basement and had stained that red. He wrapped it around the top of the bo for a grip. Around the middle he wrapped the same cord for another grip.

"I think that's the second coolest white cane in the world."

"It ain't a cane." Raph snapped. "It's a bo."

"Well either way Daredevil only has you beaten by a little bit."

"Daredevil?" Food was passed around as Mike explained.

"Only one of the best comic book super heroes in all history. He was so great they made him his own cinema movie. You guys have gotta know the story, you know teenage kid, hit by radioactive material, is now blind but has super senses." They all started at him blankly. "He can see when it rains."

"Oh yeah, yeah right!" The table exploded in recognition and head nods.

"He's got the coolest weapon in the world!" Mike continued to rant. "It's a stick but one press of a button and shing! It's a cane." Mikey motioned with his hand as if he had the weapon right there. "Then you turn the head and it becomes a grappling hook or it could be a bo or a nunchaku or billy clubs."

"Or a beating stick." Raph interrupted as he popped Mike over the head with his own bo.

"I can't believe you guys have never seen the movie." Mike continued, not taking the cue to shut up. "I've gotta rent it some time."

"Can we trade him for a dog?" Raph asked to no one in particular.

"Nah he came with the house." Don admitted.

"You need to get a life Mike, a real one."

Mike pouted and made some whiney noises.

"Well when you guys are in trouble up to your shell that only a super hero can get you out of don't some running to me for phone numbers and addresses."

* * *

Leo rummaged around behind the boxes in the basement searching for one last thing. He had found the bobbers, hooks, bait, the whole nine yards. He had even found a fishing vest. Now all he needed were the rods.

"There they are." Leo made his way over to the corner and was lucky enough to find four rods there. Grabbing them he tripped and stumbled out of the mess of boxes. As he passed the pool table they had uncovered he couldn't help but to pause and stare. Placed on the green felt of the pool table were two sticks and a small bottle of root beer extract. He cracked a smile, the hurried up the stairs to his brothers who were waiting on the porch. Their lives had definitely changed.

"Leo, I don't think fishing rods are supposed to be this flexible." Raph took the tip of his rod and bent it until the entire rod formed a semi circle. "And isn't the fishing line just a little thick?"

Raph rubbed the neon yellow line between his fingers.

"Well there were only four down there. A rod is a rod. I'd imagine it works the same way."

Raph shrugged his shoulders and put a worm on the hook he had tied on. He tried to cast but instead of letting the line go he could feel the rod bend. Frustrated, he pulled some of the lie out of the stiff reel and cast again. This time all the line he had pulled out of the reel was taken up and put into his cast. The line made it about halfway out onto the pond before it stopped short and fell with a plop.

"Way to scare the fishes Raph." Mike teased.

"With your face around here they're probably putting in for a transfer to another pond anyway.

"You just watch Raph. I'm gonna get the first fish!"

"Mike, if we were eating these fish for dinner you would starve. I'm gonna whoop your shell, AND catch the first fish."

"You're all wrong guys," Don stated. "Cuz _I _caught the first fish." Don held up his prize, a medium sized blue gill, for all to see."

His fish and smirk were both greeted by 'aww's' and 'showoff's'

Raph was in the process of making a rude remark to Don when he felt a tug on his line. He tugged up, but all the rod did was bend. He started to reel in but the odd shape of the reel kept on causing his fingers to slip.

"Aw screw it."

Raph grabbed hold of the line and began to strip it in making a pile at his feet. As he stripped it in the reel made a clicking sound.

"Remind me again how I ended up with this rod." Raph asked as he pulled his thrashing fish in.

* * *

FLASHBACK 30 YEARS AGO:

"_Bang Bang Boom! Ha you're dead!"_

_Corey played with his army figurines, poking them at one another and banging their heads together. _

_"Corey! Get your arse in here!" Roared a deep throated voice from somewhere else in the house._

_Corey's head snapped to the right and he immediately dropped his action figures. He jumped to his feet and raced in the direction of the voice. _

_"Yes Dad?"_

_The man's eyes immediately widened and his face grew red with anger._

_"What was that boy?" He screamed in his son's face._

_Corey stood to attention with a tiny shiver._

_"Sorry sir."_

_"You ain't two anymore boy. You're six, now start actin' like it! That was no way to square your corners!" His voice rose an octave with each sentence. "And what did I tell you to call me?" _

_"Sir Captain Sir."_

_The man slapped the boy across the face. "That's for not squaring you're corners." He kicked Corey's feet out from under him and made him land hard on his knees. "And that's for calling me by the wrong title! Now go back and do it again."_

_Anger flashed in Corey's eyes but he stood taller and flashed a salute._

_"Sir yes Captain Cobart Sir."_

_He did an about face and marched back into the living room._

_"Some day you'll be a Captain Cobart too boy."_

_The boy marched back into the room stiff legged. He threw another salute."_

_"Sir you called for me Sir."_

_Captain Cobart growled and back handed him cross the face._

_"When will you ever learn you maggot faced sniveling baby?"_

_Corey's eyes flashed with anger as he looked up at his father. The right side of his face was covered with an angry red hand print._

_"That's it. Anger is the only way to get through boot camp. Follow orders but think for yerself. It's the only way you'll climb up through the ranks. Now get down into the front leaning rest position and give me forty push ups."

* * *

_

Cobart jerked awake and grabbed for the gun under his pillow. It took him a few second to realize that the sound that woke him was his cell phone. He didn't use it very often and people who had his number were privileged. Cell phones left paper tails and Cobart didn't like paper trails.

"What?" He growled as he answered the phone.

"It's John. I found your birth mom."

Cobart sat up staright. That was one of his favorites phrases, cod for 'the targets have been sighted.' He sat up and moved around the warehouse, packing his meager belongings.

"Where at?"

"North Hampton."

"Good I'll be there."

He hung up the phone and pulled on his jacket. He armored up, strapping on all his guns, and was out of the warehouse heading towards the Foot Tower in a matter of minutes.

He was going to go kill him some turtle.


	13. The Fight

Disclaimer: I don't own them… can't have any pets I can't eat.

A/N: (does a dance) Hey! It's my last chapter! Geez sorry it took so long. The end was the hardest and I just couldn't seem to get it right so in the end I just deleted the whole last scene. Lol I was reading and just decided I didn't need it, other wise it might have been another half a week until I got this up! Well I hope you all enjoy!

Lunar-ninja: We have a chipper named the Shredder… in fact that and was the whole reason behind the scene. My dad had me helping him the one day and we kept having to take the chipper shoot off to get stuck sticks out. I could just see the guys doing that and it all went from there. As for the guys and Cobart… well… you'll see! Thanks for reviewing!

Pacphys: Hehe safety glasses? Work boots? Jeans? For weed whacking? Whoops! Lol I always thought I was a little like Mike. I wear the glasses and ear protection but I always tend to wear shorts while whacking the weeds. But think of it this way. If I hadn't worn shorts and got my legs all cut up then that scene never would have been born. Ha there's a reason for everything! Oh the Mike's mouth moving in an 'of' I meant 'o' but added another letter instead. Sorry! Yup… Don sure does move through Bo's fast. They age quickly, they get chopped in half, they get cracked over soemone's head. Poor Don! Oh yes Leo saying that a rod is a rod would have some angle's after him. (Including me) Thanks for reviewing!

Chibi Rose Angel: Cobart is bad yes… but you didn't feel sympathy for him and his up bringing? (Runs and hides from Chibi Rose) I swear whatever Cobart does is his own doing not mine! And I grantee you I have some great stuff for the sequel. Thanks a bunch for reviewing!

LenniluvsBrian: Lol wow! A lot of people hate Coabrt with a passion! I'm sure I would too but I seem to have a twisted sense of protection for my first really bad evil villain, Ah well you will see what happens in the end! Thanks for reviewing!

Leonardo Mystic: Why thank you! It's quite a compliment to hear that I have the guys in character! Thanks for the heads up on the spelling errors. I beta my own stuff and grammar isn't my strong suit so the commas tend to get away from me. As for the spelling errors there is simply no explanation. It's just stupidity on my part. Sorry about that. Thanks a bunch for reviewing and I'll check out your story!

Tbreader: (Waves while standing on her tippie toes) By TB! We'll miss ya! I tried to hurry with the chapter but it just didn't work! Sorry! I hope you have fun on your mission and this will be here for you when you get back. (along with about a hundred other stories) Thanks for reviewing!

Sugar Shell: Blindness is something that I wish I excelled in. Although it's not a skill I'd like to know everything about it that I can because I wish to be a seeing eye dog trainer. Knowing what blindness is like might help me to relate to the student better. I'm learning Braille and to be honest I'm having a tougher time than Raph is! Lol at least he knows SOME of the letter by touch! Thanks for the compliment! The Braille watch actually does exist. They have talking ones and ones with Braille numbers and all sorts of things. Thank you once again for reviewing!

* * *

"Michelangelo this has got to be the single most stupid thing you have ever done." Leo paced in front of Mike.

"And that's pretty bad considering how dumb you are." Raph butted in.

"Guys it's not like we haven't rented movies before."

"But this isn't New York City. It's a small hick town and people are going to notice a guy walking around with green skin."

"What movie did you get anyway?" Raph asked.

"Daredevil." Mikey grinned and smirked.

"You're such a moron."

Mike grinned again as he watched Leo throw his hands up in distress.

"You guys were the ones that said you never saw it before. if you don't read the comics you should at least see the movies when they come out." He moved over to the TV and knelt down to put in the DVD. "Now sit down and watch."

"Mike we're not going to ware our time watching some…" Leo started.

"The gain maybe we should watch it later. I heard Master Splinter wanted us to help him plant a garden." Mikey cocked an eyebrow.

Leo and Raph both jumped for the couch and Don could be heard scrambling towards them from another room.

Alright boys, sit back and be prepared to be shocked."

* * *

"Don't look so shocked Saki. My soldiers found them and your's wouldn't have had a hope.

"Where?" Saki growled.

"North Hampton." Cobart's smug smile grew a bit if that was at all possible. "We're leaving tonight."

"My Foot soldiers aren't here yet."

"Well get them here because my men are leaving in five." Cobart turned and sauntered out of the room. He was in a good mood tonight. Death was in the air, and he was doing the killing.

* * *

"What's happenin'? What's happenin'?" Raph sat forward on his seat and fidgeted. All he heard was an explosion and someone yelling then Bullseye saying his own name with a laugh.

"Bullseye just killed Natchios with Daredevil's weapon. Stole it from right under his nose!"Leo gasped.

"Right through the hear! Ow!" Mike threw his hands to his own plastron dramatically as if he himself had been hit.

"Geeze!" Raph gasped as he heard a handgun. "Who's shooting? Who's shooting?"

"Electra." Don turned his head slightly in Raph's direction, totally zoned in to the movie and not wishing to be bothered.

Raph continued to sit forward in his seat.

"What's he doing?"

"Shhh!" Don hushed irritably.

* * *

Cobart sat in the passenger's seat of the black suburban cleaning his guns. Behind the car with him and his men were six other large vehicles carrying Foot soldiers. Saki had wanted to take more but they would have looked even more conspicuous than there already were. The only reason Saki hadn't fought more for it was that only a few dozen Foot soldiers had shown up. Most of them were out on the streets acting like the childish punkers they were and asking for police records. Cobart didn't have a police record. He made sure of that.

"Hey Cobart."

Cobart whipped around and slammed his gun into the throat of the speaker.

"What'd you call me?"

The man snorted air out hard through his nostrils in surprise. He blinked hard but other that that stayed relatively calm.

"I said Hey."

He puffed out some more air and tried to cough as Cobart pressed harder on the gun.

"You ten to forget." Cobart growled. "I am commanding officer in this operation. You just stripped me of my rank." Cobart almost whined the last part mockingly.

"Hey, Sir." The assassin ground out after he started to run short of air and his eyes started to water.

Cobart released his hold on the gun and smiled disarmingly as he patted the man he had just choked on the back.

"Now what did you want?"

"Do and of the targets happen to be girls?" The man licked his lips. Cobart could see a hunger in his eyes This assassin was lustful and hungry for women. He never should have hired him.

"Get out. You're off the job."

"What?" The man's face turned into the very picture of fury.

"I don't need a man on my team who is going to leave his DNA behind on a job because he can't keep it in his pants." Cobart opened the door nearest the man and ordered the driver to slow down. "Get out." He aided the man with a blow from the butt of his gun and a shove. He tumbled out of the car and the odd parade sped off once again.

Nothing was going to stand in Cobart's way. He was close to finishing this job, so close he could taste it. He imagined the machine gun in his hand kicking to be free as it wrecked havoc on whomever he pointed it at. He heard the screams of the fallen and saw the fear in the eyes of those still standing. Cobart licked his own lips. He loved this job.

* * *

Raph sat back on the couch with a sigh, coke in hand. The movie had been good despite what Mike went through to get it. It was even better once Don turned on what Raph called the 'blind person captions.' During the musical intervals in the movie a voice would play over the instruments and describe the actiony bits.

His brothers had long since gone to bed and Raph was left to his own devices. Raph opted to stay up and think awhile. Could it really happen? Could he be like that guy in the movie and patrol the streets, cutting down on crimes and doing his part to keep New York safe? Could he _still_ do it? Raph sighed, too much heavy thinking for tonight. He moved to make his way up the stairs, but stopped when he heard someone.

"You still up?" Raph had learned a lot of nondescript opening lines to get the other person to talk so he could identify them over the last week.

"Cokey wondered off and I'm getting some Cheerios to lure her back."

"Good luck with that."

"Oh come on Raph! You know you want to help!"

"I want to hit the hay." Raph grinned as he climbed the stairs. He liked being asked to help though he had to admit. "If she's not back by morning then I'll help look for her.

Raph continued to climb the stairs up to his room. He found his and Leo's room and entered without disturbing his brother. Within minutes of listening to his brother's breathing patterns he was asleep. Peace reined in the house.

* * *

Cobart climbed out of the SUV, M-16 in hand. The timing couldn't have been better. At two in the morning the targets would be sleeping so deep they wouldn't know what hit them. His six, now five, men filed out behind him and stood next to him in front of the car. A cruel grin passed over Cobart's features as he slid the action back on his rifle.

"Let's go knock on their door."

The sound of the door being kicked in was muffled by the carpet it fell on. Upstairs three turtles awoke to a loud 'thump'. The two humans slept on unaware, used to the commotion of a city. Downstairs Splinter was up and out of his bed almost before the door hit the ground. With his walking stick in hand he was out of the room in a flash.

"My sons! Awake!" He yelled as he dashed to face the intruders.

Gunshots ran out and Splinter hit the deck just as the boys were making it down the stairs.

Raphael didn't hesitate to jump out of bed and grab his sais when he heard the noise downstairs. The call from his Sensei followed by the gunshots only added speed to his feet. For a few split seconds he was his old self. When he made it down the stairs, sais ready, and still didn't see the intruders, he realized exactly how dangerous the situation was for him.

"How many?" He yelled as he heard Don and Leo leap at the offenders.

'Six goon and a bunch of Foot Soldiers." Leo called over his shoulder. He ran to attack the men with the guns first but they quickly seemed to realize that the small space the house offered wasn't a great area for a shoot out with a bunch of turtles wielding close range weapons. They melted in behind the Foot soldiers who poured into the house.

Don, Leo, and Splinter engaged themselves in battle. Raphael shifted from foot to foot, unsure of how he could help. He had only gotten to train a little bit at the farm and was totally unprepared for the battle. How had the Shredder found them anyway?

Raph was snapped out of his thoughts by someone rushing past him towards the stairs. April and Casey were up there! Without a second though Raph bounded up the stairs after the guy. He had to stay focused. Losing his concentration could cost him. Raph heard a creak of an old floor board at the top of the stairs and doubled his efforts to catch the goon. Raph leapt off the very same last stair and caught the foot soldier in the back as he was entering Casey's room. They tumbled to the ground together and Raph was the first to land a hit. The man under him went limp and Raph grinned. He loooved to fight! He had no real time to focused on anything else because by now more Foot soldiers had made it past his two brothers and Sensei and were up the stairs. Casey was jolted awake by the gun shots but still seemed a bit disoriented. He only really seemed to get his head on straight when a Foot soldier entered his room with Raph on his back. Casey jumped out of bed and grabbed his bag of weapons. He was sure if Raph could see he would make fun of him for fighting off goons in his boxer shorts but at the moments Raph was kicking three black clad ninjas off himself. Casey pulled out his hockey stick and immediately started pummeling anything black that ran through his door.

"I ask for a wake up call and this is what I get? I hate this hotel!"

Raph finally managed to get to his feet. "File your complaint with the customer services department." This lack in focus earned Raph a knock in the head and he thanks the heavens he hadn't come across any enemies with swords yet.

A scream rang out and April came racing into Casey's room as if the hounds of Hell were at her heels. She must had slept through everything because her hair was still ruffled and she had dragged a small lap afagan behind her. April swung the small blanket back and forth before her at the enemies. It made a whipping sound as it snapped to and fro, not doing much of anything but creating a diversion.

"Sure Raphael go protect Casey. I'm alright." April mocked as she made little grunting sounds, straining to keep the intruders at bay.

"Hey the guy went into Casey's room, must have thought he was an easier target." Raph grinned and was hit again, kicked in the plastron hard enough to send him flying back into Casey's stereo. As it fell to the floor buttons must have been pressed because music filled the room. Loud blasting rap stuff. Raph was helped to his feet by Casey and almost immediately Raph found his beat. With the music playing he didn't have to worry so much about his moves. They came in time with the music so Raph could concentrate on other things. More people were in the room, a lot more and they were being herded, though Raph couldn't tell where.

"Find you're center my son!" Raph could hear Splinter yelling from somewhere below.

It should have come naturally to Raph but with these new odds Raph hadn't even thought about it. His balance combined with the music created all Raph needed to help against the over whelming odds. It was no longer purely self defense. Now Raph could strike back. A few guys were going down under his sais. Raph was helping in battle.

Before he knew it his shell was against the wall and April and Casey were either side of him. 'Kee ya'! Was all he head before they were kicked in their chest and through the glass window. They fell screaming into the backyard.

"Where are we at?" Raph asked as he got to his feet once again.

"The backyard."

"That doesn't help me nay Case. Where at in the backyard?"

"About three feet away from the picnic table." April answered. "Facing the house."

"Thank you."

"So nice of you to join us." Leo said from somewhere else in the yard.

The sound of clashing metal was evidence that the battle had moved outside.

"What the…" Oh no!" Mike could be heard near the tree line of the woods. "Don't worry guys! I'm coming."

Then it all happened so fast.

"Raph watch out!"

A soft chuckle and someone turning the safety off on a gun, a barrel pressed into his head and the words "Don't move freak." whispered in his ear.

Everybody stopped fighting, the opposing side wishing to see the first execution of the hated turtles. The man behind Raph pulled out a knife. Raph gritted his teeth in frustration. He shouldn't have let this happen.

"Just pull the damn trigger!" Cobart screamed as he approached. "Stop fooling around and get the job done!"

"But I want to hear him scream."

The man put his knife at the base of Raph's skull. Raph growled in response.

"Damned mercenaries." Cobart drew his own gun on his hired man. "I said pull the trigger!"

The man drew back for a split second in surprise and Raph took his chance. He spun around with his sais in an 'x' formation to catch the gun and push it upwards, at the same time sweeping at the man's feet.

Cobart made a sound half between a growl and an enraged scream. He opened fire just as Mikey reached the fray.

"No!" Screamed two brothers and a father as the spray of bullets came closer and closer to the oblivious Raphael. Leo and Splinter both leapt forward to help but their way was blocked by soldiers. Mikey flew through the air, his nunchaku already out of his belt. He pounced on Cobart's back and wrapped his chuck around the tip of the gun pulling it up as they both fell to the ground.

Raph continued his battle against the hit man that had attacked him. The military rifle was disabled but Raph was still floundering. The man still had his knife and Raph couldn't seem to disarm him. The man knocked him to the ground and all Raph could seem to think was 'oh shell. This is it." But as he waited for the blade to come down into his chest he heard an all too familiar sound of metal against wood.

"Thanks Mike, I owe you ."

Mike winked at Raph and sent a good flying over head.

"That'll be twenty for the life saving and ten for the help up. Don't worry I'll just add it to your bill." He said as he gave one of his obnoxious laughs that grated on Raph's nerves.

"Little brothers," Raph shook his head in disgust. "Would you shut up? I'm trying to work here."

"Yeah and by the looks of it you're about to get fired. Man bro! I mean they're the Foot. They aren't _that_ hard to beat!"

Mike took a look at his battered, bruise covered brother.

"Yeah well speak for…"

Raph was cut off by a familiar scream, Donny's scream.

"Donny!" They all rushed over to his side, apparently he had still been in the house.

"What happened?" Raph asked close to panic.

"He got pushed out the second story window and fell on his stomach, onto the concrete." Leo explained slowly.

Mikey helped Don up while the rest of them formed a circle around them and fought off the intruders, mike winced when he saw the crack in Don's shell. Don groaned and winced as well even as he pushed Mike away.

"'m fine"

"Well you won't be for long." Came a grating voice from somewhere unseen.

Five men emerged from the ranks of the remaining Foot. With only about fifteen of them left the guys truly felt the battle was leaning their way, until now. The five men, if you could even call them that, stood with their automatics pointed at the group of friends. One squeeze of one trigger and a spray of bullets would be admitted that would kill them all.

A man stepped even farther forward than the rest. A man with grimy camo pants and an old blood stained, wrinkled camo military jacket.

"Look guys! It's Rambo!" That comment was only to be expected from Mike.

"Alright boys." The obvious leader spoke up. "Let's get this over with so I can get my money. Just leave he human so we can do him clean. We don't want no evidence."

Wait, human? Where was April?

"Ready." Cobart closed one eye and set Raph's red bandanna in his crosshairs. "Aim."

Clong!

A man towards the outside of the ring fell to the ground with a twist. IN his place stood April wielding a frying pan.

The boys didn't waste the chance April gave them. Leo made quick work of a few of the automatics.

"What the mater April?" The whole matador thing not cutting it?"

"No," She answered with another Clong of her pan. "I just like this sound more."

Don clutched his plastron and winced as he stretched a little too far. "Hey guys, can we get this over with already?"

"Yeah sure Don." Leo did one of his famous split kicks, bringing down two guys at once.

Two minutes later every bad guy was down on the ground either unconscious or moaning in pain.

Raph wiped some blood off his arm from a particularly deep cut. "Is that it?"

"Yeah Raph. That's it. Now let's go inside and get you and Don fixed up."

"Then what?" Mike asked.

"Then we go home. Splinter started towards the house with Don's arm slung over his neck.

* * *

Raph lounged on the couch while trying to give his Braille another shot. He could only identify some of the letters and ninety percent of the time he still got them wrong because he through they were something else. One month, a whole month, and he still couldn't read Braille worth crap.

Raph heard a quiet muffled groan from somewhere in front of him. He grinned widely.

"I thought you said three weeks bed rest. It's only been two."

"You're a hypocrite you know that Raph?" Don made it down the stairs clutching his bandaged plastron.

"Yes but I don't have the chance of my chest falling apart on me if I get up and walk around."

"Well in that case Mr. Knows-It-All, I'll just go back up to my room for my much needed rest and I won't tell you what Kevin said."

Raph closed his book and sat up straight.

"What did Kevin say?"

Don eased himself onto the couch with another groan.

"He says there is a chance of you getting you're sight back."

If Raph has ears they would have perked up. He felt a could chill down the back of his shell in then his body go numb.

"What?"

"He says he wants to see you tomorrow, that is if you want the procedure. I would say that there is a chance of worsening you're sight but since you have none to speak of that won't be a problem."

"What and you didn't tell me before?"

"Well we kind of skipped off to the farm before Kevin had a chance to examine your eyes thoroughly. He said that from the check up he did a week ago that there is a chance. It's a long shot but a chance is still and chance. He thinks he can restore at least some of your sight." Don paused for a moment to take in Raph's reaction. "So, five AM tomorrow morning. You up to it?"

"Five AM?" Raph repeated, completely avoiding the real question. "Why so early?"

"Well the office opens at eight and Kevin doesn't want to be pressed for time."

"My sight," Raph half whispered to himself. It had taken so much for him to accept he no longer had it. Now that he did there's a chance of restoring it. All of what he had just gone through in the last month and a half wouldn't have happened if he had just went to Kevin's sooner.

Raph felt a bit of anger running through him.

"Raph?"

"Don, what kind of idiot would refuse something like that?"

"So we're going?"

Raph snorted.

"Yeah!"

Raph almost felt bipolar. One second he was ready to turn someone inside out, the next he wanted to hug someone.

"But you will not go without me."

"We wouldn't dream of it Master Splinter."

Raph felt that cold sweat coming on again. Why did Master Splinter have to come?

"But wouldn't it just be easier with just me and Donny?" Raph tried to reason. He really didn't want his whole family there while Kevin taped open his eyes and poked around.

"And how do you propose Raphael, that you and Donatello will make it up to the surface unseen. There is no manhole near Dr. Broody's office."

Raph definitely felt bipolar. Now he was angry again. He wasn't going to be led by the hand. How the hell was he going to get beyond this? It wasn't like he could go roof hopping.

"Alright, just so long as mike and Leo don't come." Raph grumped.

"Oh, and I thought it was going to be a nice family outing." Mike's voice could be heard from somewhere above.

"Raph threw his hands in the air. "Is there such a thing as a private conversation in this joint?"

* * *

Raph felt a cold sweat on his face. He wiped at his forehead just in case Donny noticed. He was nervous. Five was a good time though, he had to admit. Most of the party people and night owls were in bed and the early birds weren't up yet. It was a good thing too. Raph had a hell of a time getting to Kevin's place. The buildings set farther apart caused him a lot of problems. One thing was for sure though. He now had the steps for the fire escapes down by heart. It had been a frustrating trip at best.

Outside on the roof Mikey hung by his knees from a flag pole.

"What's happening?"

"Well you would be bale to see if you hadn't forgotten you're shoko spikes." Leo chided.

"Oh come on Leo. I left them in my other belt. Pleese tell me what's going on."

"Relax Mike. They're just sitting there waiting for Kevin."

"Well I want to see." Mike paused. "Give me your shoko spikes."

"No. Go get your own."

* * *

"Hey guys, sorry it took me… woah! What happened?"

Don glanced down at his bandaged chest.

"Oh what? This?" He pointed at the white cloth wrapped around his torso. "We were attacked."

Kevin opened his mouth to say something but closed it again and shook his head.

"So," He turned to Raph. "Did Don tell you what I was going to do?"

Raph shook his head no and a lot of medical babble spewed forth from Kevin's mouth that he wasn't sure if even Don would understand about how his retinas had been bad to begin with and he was going to try to splice this and transplant that. Apparently it was more complicated than just detached retinas.

"Now you understand that this isn't a grantee that you'll get you're sight back. In fact getting any sight back is a long shot and you definitely won't get it all back."

"I know that." By now Raph had gained some small amount of control and his tone was even.

"And you know that I'm not an eye surgeon so there are even more risks there. I only finished half of my education in that field before changing to this one."

"Kevin, I can't really sue you if you screw up because I don't exist. Let's just get this over with."

Raph wasn't sure how much longer he could maintain control. Kevin nodded in understanding as he started taking things out of the cupboards.

"Okay then. I guess we'll get started."

* * *

"Mikey knock it off!"

"Michaelangelo, your brother is resting."

"Sensei Raph could sleep through a world war."

"Michaelangelo, if you do not quiet yourself you will be meditating until dinner time."

Raph awoke to the sounds of Mikey acting like an idiot. He was back in the Lair and for a moment he wondered who had carried him.

In his own room. In his own hammock. At least they had the simple courtesy of doing that.

For a few minutes he just laid there, his eyes closed. Did it work? Could he see? He was never going to know if he didn't open his eyes.

Raph took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes but almost as soon as he did he closed them again and let out his breath.

Nothing. Darkness. It didn't work. He was still blind.

He put his hands atop his head and sighed. After all that hoping he didn't get anything.

With another sigh he heaved himself out of his hammock and felt around his room for his bo staff. He found it leaning against his nightstand and headed out of his room.

He still had a bit of a limp from his gun shot wound but it was diminishing with each day.

As he tapped out of his room he wondered what his family would say. It was a big disappointment. There was no doubt about that.

"Hey, Raph's up!

"How's the sight bro?'

Raph prepared to respond to Leo when he stepped into the full light of the main room. He was about to tell them about the failed procedure when he saw something.

Raph took a step back in surprise and gasped. He saw something!

"Raph?"

Dark shapes. Dark turtle like shapes that were his brothers and a spiky one that was his father, all on a grayish background. He could make out the pillar where the punching bag stood! A dark shape was all it was but it was something. He could make out… Raph spun in a slow circle with a slack jaw. Nothing else. As he walked slowly from spot to spot though things slowly came into view. He could only make out a large objects about three or four feet away but it was something. They appeared dark and black, without detail or form but it wasn't darkness.

"Earth to Raphael." Leo broke into his thoughts. "Can you see anything?

Raph swallowed as he continued his walk. He paused and spun around slowly once more so he could face his family. When he spoke his voice was husky.

"Yeah, yeah I can see somethin."

* * *

EPILOGUE!

30 Year Later…

"Come on toots. I'll show you a real good time."

"J-j-just stay away!"

"you know you don't mean that."

A young lady in her early twenties stood cornered in an alley. A scrawny man swayed back in forth in front of her. His hungry eyes looked her over as he licked his lips.

"Oh it'll be fun… for me."

"Stay away!" She screamed again reaching hysterics. She held a white cane in her slender hands. Her black hair was plastered to her face with tears.

"It's not like you'll see any of it."

Her eyes darted about wildly in their sockets, petrified of her attacker yet unable to see that he stood directly before her. She gripped the white cane tighter. Her breath came in gasps, almost reaching a whine.

"it won't take long."

The scrawny man bared down on the lady. He stretched his hands out to grab her but was stopped by a deep bass voice from the shadows.

"Git away from her." It growled.

The man cleared the distance between the girl and himself and pulled a knife from his pockets. He spun the girl around and pressed her to his body. She screamed but quieted when she felt the honed steel against her flesh.

"She's mine! If you don't beat it and go find yourself another whore then I'll slit her throat and we'll both be without company tonight."

"I'm n-not a" the lady stuttered but the lunatic grabbed her tighter around her waist and added pressure behind the tip of the knife.

"Shut up little one and maybe after I'm done with you I'll let you live."

"You're not going to go anything with her."

The knife was out of the scrawny man's hand in a flash and he was flat on his back staring up into the face of a green monster before he knew it.

"You breath too loud you know that? Now," Raph growled as he moved in closer to the frightened criminal. "I know you're a good for nothing sleeze bag but I also know you're not dumb enough to fight me when I let you up. So I am going to give you two seconds to get out of this alley. If you're still here by then I can assure you that you will not be seeing the light of morning. Got it?"

The scrawny man nodded fearfully.

Raph let him up and gave him a good swift kick in the butt as he passed to help him on his way. He went skittering out of the alley, stumbling over his own feet, doing quite a good impression of a drunken man.

Raph turned at the sounds of snuffling coming from the girl he had just saved. She was close to the ground searching for something. He pulled out his Bo and did a quick search of the ground, finding what she was looking for before her.

"I think you might need this." He said as he gently placed the white cane in her trembling hands.

She took the cane and clutched it close to her body, wrapping herself around it and rocking back and forth. Raph knelt before her and kept his voice low so as not to scare her.

"You know this isn't going to be last time someone in the Big Apple takes advantage of your disability."

"I couldn't stop him. How could I?" She continued to cry. Her hiccups mixed with her tears causing her breath to come in more short ragged gasps. "He… he was going too…"

She broke down completely as Raph gently rubbed her back.

"I know, but he didn't."

He sat on the ground with her until her cried slowed to an occasional sniffle and a gasp.

"Your skin feels different." Raph pulled his hand back and rubbed his knuckles with his other,

"By all rights it should be." But that was all he said. It seemed to be good enough for her. She nodded and fell silent once again. "Where do you live?" Raph asked.

"The corner of Second and Eastman."

"I go by there on my way home." He lied. "You want me to walk you?"

"I would feel safer."

"Ok well I don't really care to go by street though so what do you say we go by roof?"

"Isn't that kinda dangerous since I'm blind."

"I've never been one to listen to those sayings."

Raph got to his feet before she could question his cryptic message. He pulled out his Bo and let her take his elbow. Tapping his way over to the fire escape slowly for the benefit of the girl.

"You can stop imitating me you know I take great offense to it."

Raph chuckled. "Well I could stop if you want but chances would be great that I would run you straight into something."

It took the girl awhile to understand but finally she placed her free hand over Raph's hand as he moved his Bo from side to side.

"You're blind too?"

"For twenty some odd years now."

Again there was a puzzled pause before she spoke.

"But… how could you do all you did just then?"

"Practice. Years and years of hard practice."

They reached the fire escape and he lifted her up onto the first rung.

"There's ten rungs to each flight and four flights. Three paces until you get to the other side of the flat. I'll follow you up."

"Practice. You weren't kidding."

"Years of it."

She followed Raph's instructions carefully and made it to the roof with no mishaps.

"What's your name?" She asked as she felt Raph offer his elbow again.

"Raphael, but most call me Raph. What's yours?"

"Mandy."

"A pretty name for a pretty face."

"How would you know I was pretty if you can't see my face?" Her voice was guarded once again seriously doubting the legitimacy of the man next to her.

Sensing her inner conflict Raph chuckled. "I can tell by the way you talk. You obviously don't mind the way you look. If you think your look good then that is the way you are going to look."

She contemplated this for a moment before relaxing again.

"The end of the roof is coming up. I am going to need to jump over. I can either carry you or once I get over I can lay out a board for you to walk across."

"Walking over open space? On a makeshift board? I don't think so."

"Thought so."

Raph swept Mandy off her feet as he slung his Bo back into it's holder. She squealed as he took two gigantic steps and launched himself into the air. He winced as she let out an ear piercing scream. He landed in a crouch on the other side as he gently put Mandy on her own feet.

"Raphael, that, was amazing." Her voice was breathy and full of respect."

"Years of…"

"Wait!" She cut in. "Don't say it, hard practice right?"

"Right."

Mandy sat down, wanting to converse with Raph more.

"I think that this practice is more than the average Jo can do."

"I donno. Is the average Jo a ninja?"

"You're a ninja?"

Raph gave a wry grin.

"Have been for forty some off years now."

Mandy laughed sensing the repetitiveness in the conversation. She fell silent. Her face dropping.

"How did it happen? Your blindness I mean."

"I got hit by a flash bomb when I was fifteen. Before that I had bad retinas but it only sped up the process. A month and a half later I was blind."

"But you were a ninja before that?"

"Ever since I was a kid. I was raised in the art of Ninjitsu."

"How did you ever learn to get your life back to normal again?"

"At first it wasn't normal. I was laid up for two weeks after I was attacked and during that time everyone around me paid. It took a good hard talking to from my dad and getting lost in the woods three times for me to get my head back on straight. After that I had to relearn everything. Braille had to be the hardest. I learned to listen constantly to the things around me because every time I mess up me or someone around me got hurt." Raph's thoughts flashed briefly back to the farmhouse, and how he had barely made it out alive. He rubbed a hand over the scare on his arm, his proof that he wasn't invincible. He had almost been killed that night and because of his down fall his brother almost went with him. "By the time I was out of my teens I could feel the tiniest shifts in air. I was almost a better ninja without my sight than I was with it."

There was a pregnant pause as Raph let her soak in the new information. "What about you? How did you go blind?"

"It was a birth defect. I never had the chance to know what sight was like. I never had to learn to function without it. It came naturally to me."

Raph thought about this. He nodded slowly as he helped her up and they continued along her way.

"If you had the chance. Would you have wanted sight when you were younger?"

"When I was younger I did but now that I'm older I think I would have had more problems if I had to relearn everything. It's hard enough to be a kid without having to learn to adjust to something big like that. Would you want to be born blind?"

Again Raph smiled as memories of his family's faces came flooding back.

"No. I treasure the memories I have too much to give them up."

They reached the edge of the roof. Raph helped her over the edge and onto the fire escape.

"Same as before ten rungs, four flights, three paces."

"I remember."

She climbed down the fire escape and into the alley below.

"My apartment is just around the corner."

"Good you'll be alright by yourself from here?"

"Yeah. Thanks for everything tonight."

"You're welcome."

They shook hands. Mandy ran her thumb over Raph's knuckles.

"You only have three fingers."

Raph grinned as he pulled his Bo from his holder and walked back towards the roof.

"It's a side affect of being a turtle."

He jumped up and onto the fire escape running off into the night leaving Mandy slack jawed and slightly puzzled as to his words.

A/N: (screams madly) Oh I'm done! Boy! I was doing pretty good until this last chapter.. sorry about the late update guys. Anyways… seeing as this is the end do you think you can all review even if you haven't before? It'd make my day! Thanks all for reading my story! I love you all!


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